Red
by xxGUSHINESSxx
Summary: He was always her go-to guy. But then he was her new found escape. If it's a dangerous game she's playing, then it's a good thing she likes to have fun. RobxStar, some Red X.
1. Prologue

Titans' Tower. It was so busy with bustling life.

Somewhere in ops, a cybernetic teen and a green vegetarian were dueling it out over something ridiculous such as a meat vs. tofu war. The smell of fake meat filled the air, and gray and red substances dripped from the ceiling and coated the furniture.

Deeper in the tower sat a half-demon in lotus position, her eyes shut and her breathing even. She murmured ancient spells and rhymes and focused her negative energy elsewhere. She was in a state where none could disturb her, or they would regret it if they tried.

Up on the Tower's roof perched an alien girl with vibrant flowing red hair and eyes that shined like emeralds. She seemed entirely at peace watching the swirling oranges, reds, and yellows of the sunset, her back to any dangers that lurked within the city.

Finally, there was the Dark Knight's young ward, locked away in his room again, studying and undoubtedly going over another case. The boy's hunched shoulders and hard expression mimicked his stepfather's to the point where it almost became concerning. Nevertheless he stayed where he was, muttering to himself, and ignoring the outside world.

And then there was the one that watched in the distance, balanced on the edge of one of the taller building's rooftops. He didn't do anything more than merely observe, for sneaking around was what he did best. The figure watched from where he sat, watched, with a frown on his face.

There had been something troubling him for quite some time, something that kept occurring ever since he had stolen the suit and had taken it for a joy ride. Of course, the risks were worth it for what he did. And that was to steal. He was a thief, nothing more, and he liked it that way.

Still though he could never get rid of that itching feeling. The feeling that something wasn't quite right. Sure he got what he needed this way, much better than he had before he had the suit. But something was tiring about the life he led. He supposed it got rather boring. The only real excitement he ever had was when he stole, or when he had a run in with Jump City's heroes. Maybe he was getting tired of what he did…Nah.

But if that wasn't it what could it be? Could it be that he was…lonely? His family had never really been any sort of comfort, what with his mother being a drug addict, and his dad a loner, for he was never around much. It didn't matter in the end. They were both dead anyway.

He moved across the country, to a place almost half as bad as the one he had left behind. It was a lot brighter here, and the crimes a lot simpler and G-rated, something he wasn't too good at following.

Well, he was here, and he was alive, and he was doing pretty damn well for himself. Might as well have some fun.


	2. A Sticky Situation

**Author's Note: **_In this story I plan to have each of the Titans be a little older. To give you an estimate of each of their ages, Cyborg is nineteen, Robin and Starfire are eighteen-not really sure who is older-Raven is seventeen, and Beast Boy is sixteen. Hope that clears things up a little. _

~0~0~0~

Robin felt his shoulders tense and he gripped the kitchen counter with such force that his knuckles had probably turned white if they had not been covered by his gloves. His mask was furrowed until the whites in it only became two agitated slits. His breathing was becoming slightly ragged and his nostrils flared with each breath he took.

"Dude," Beast Boy whispered to Cyborg just behind him. "…I think he might be annoyed with us."

"Of course I'm annoyed with you two!" Robin snapped, whipping around. "I told you how much work I needed to get done but will you two listen?!"

"Oh come on man, how much work can there be?" Cyborg asked shrugging. "Ever since we took down the Brotherhood of Evil all the other villains we've come across basically have gotten their sorry butts handed to them."

"Yeah, and since taking down the Brotherhood of Evil was _such an accomplishment,_" Beast Boy stressed, "We should be able to celebrate by throwing an awesome party and inviting _everyone!"_

Robin took a deep breath before massaging the bridge of his nose with his thumb and forefinger. "In case you haven't noticed the giant stack of papers all over the counter, I'm kind of behind on all of the paperwork that's been left over from _after_ the battle. There is no way I'm having fifty people over right now…_especially _right now."

"Well what if we helped you with the work?" Beast Boy questioned, not bothering to think of how many paper cuts that would mean.

The Boy Wonder snorted. "Right, like you guys would-"

"Robin," Starfire interrupted him, floating over. "Perhaps a celebration would not be such the bad idea. Is it not custom on your planet to engage in celebratory events after a glorious feat?" she pressed, her eyes shining. "Besides, I would be most willing to assist you in the work of the papers."

Robin sighed, exasperated. He turned in the direction of the living room where Raven sat reading one of her books. "Raven, you're on my side right?"

The half-demon put down her book and stared at him blankly. "As much as I hate siding with green skinned vegetarians, and I really, _really _do," she added, earning a glare from Beast Boy. "All joking aside, it might be nice to…reunite with some of the team. It's not like we'll be seeing them a lot."

Robin felt like pulling his hair out. "Okay, I get the point of a party…but what if there's trouble, outside of Jump?"

"Herald," Cyborg reminded him.

"B-but, what about…what about…uh-"

"Having trouble thinking of an excuse?" Raven deadpanned, returning to her book.

Robin glanced down when he felt a tugging on his leg and winced when he stared into the eyes of Silkie who seemed just as excited for the potential party as the rest of them were.

Robin groaned hitting his head on the counter repeatedly, while Starfire, worried for his sanity as well as his wellbeing placed a pillow under his head for good measure.

"It's still a lot of work," he murmured into the pillow.

"But we shall be most eager to get it done!" Starfire beamed.

"Besides, don't you kinda need a break dude?" BB reminded him.

"EEEKKK," Silkie pointed out.

Robin glanced up and looked at each of the Titans' hopeful faces, sans Raven of course, and groaned before lying back down on the pillow. "Fine," he muttered.

"Yeah, man!"

"I knew you'd see it my way dude!"

"I cannot wait to garnish the Tower with Earthen decorations!"

"Whatever."

"EEEKKK!"

Just then the Titan alarm rang and now it was Cyborg and Beast Boy's turn to let out a groan. Robin however sprang out of his chair, nearly stepping on Silkie in his haste. All complaining aside he took the stance of that of a commanding leader.

"Titans, trouble!"

~0~0~0~

Screams of terror filled the air and civilians ran wildly as they tried to find cover from the acid rain that had begun to pour down. The entire street was trashed with crushed cars and overflowing sewers, not to mention splatters of reddish purple goo. A sickening gurgling laugh erupted from one of the drains and slowly a massive blob rose from the ground, licking its way toward the center of the road and conjoining to form possibly the ugliest villain the Titans had ever faced.

"Ugh, BB, have you been poppin' another one of your zits again?" Cyborg jeered, as he gazed around the clearing in disgust.

"Hey!" the green Titan protested. "My face is as smooth as a baby's bottom!"

"Not your most persuasive argument, Gar," Raven replied dryly while putting up her hood. Beast Boy just stuck his tongue out at her.

"What is the Plasmus doing here anyhow?" Starfire asked, wrinkling her nose. "Was it not just last week since we detained him?"

"Whatever he's up to, it's our job to stop him. Titans, go!" Robin declared, and the rest became instinct.

Starfire soared toward the creature of goo and fired her eyebeams at him before swerving back around. However it seemed as if Plasmus had other plans as he spat up a huge ball of pinkish flem and hurled it at the unsuspecting girl. Starfire gasped as it made contact with her back and she sailed over the hood of a car before turning on her backside so the mush on her backside would take most of the blow.

Cyborg came next, activating a button on his arm console as he ran toward the creature, two rockets instantly appearing on each shoulder. They fired a second later and embedded themselves into Plasmus's being.

"Boo-yah!" the cybernetic teen cried, before his smile was quickly transformed into a frown. Plasmus gave what seemed to be a chuckle before tensing his liquid muscles and shooting the rocket back toward him.

"Wow, wow, _hey!_" Cyborg burst out as he narrowly avoided the missiles. He quickly ducked behind a truck and it was a good thing he did because one managed to pierce the side of the massive vehicle. The whole structure began to slowly topple over but, was lifted up instead by Raven.

The empath narrowed her eyes in focus, her arms spread wide as she glided higher into the air. "_Azarath, Metrion, Zinthos!"_ The truck came sailing into Plasmus, and for a moment Raven believed it had actually made its mark until the explosive pimple seemed to instantly transform himself into a puddle, ducking under the attack and seeping into the ground.

Raven stared at where he had been only a moment ago, her eyes wide. A few yards away Beast Boy morphed back to his original form in confusion.

"Uh, since when could he do _that?_"

There wasn't enough time to answer, for Plasmus had re-solidified himself right behind the two Titans and let out an ear-splitting roar before a flood of gunk poured out of his chest washing both teens away.

Beast Boy crouched on his knees as he heaved up a mouthful of gunk, groaning. "Ugh, he even _tastes_ like puss!" he complained before looking nervously at Raven as she raised her eyebrows at him. "Not that, I would know."

"Enough's enough Plasmus," Robin asserted, his fists positioned in a fighting stance. "It's time we put you right back where you belong." With that sentence out of his mouth, he hurled an explosive disk at the monster, casing the entire creature in ice as it connecting with the exterior of his slime. Knowing that the attack wouldn't last long, Robin pulled out his bo staff and gave it a twirl before smashing it into the side of the frozen Plasmus, shattering him into bits. Robin prepared himself for his reformation, knowing all too well that it would only take a few moments, however he was momentarily distracted by a flash of something dark in his peripheral vision.

"Robin, look out!" Starfire called suddenly, her eyes wide, and her hair in a slight frenzy. However the Boy Wonder whipped around a moment too late, as he was knocked aside by a giant sticky appendage and smashed into the side of a van where he lay in an unconscious heap.

_"Robin!"_

Starfire was at his side in an instant. She carefully rolled him onto his back, her hands trembling as she listened to his ragged breathing.

"What happened?" Cyborg demanded rushing up beside the two as Beast Boy and Raven held off Plasmus for the time being. As soon as he caught sight of his leader lying motionless on the ground, the blood drained from his face. "Shit."

"What must I do?" she cried desperately, her hands grabbing her face.

"Raven!" Cyborg called over to the empath. "Robin's hurt!"

She was there in an instant, kneeling beside her fallen teammate trying to contain her shock and horror. "Cover me," she snapped to Cyborg, and he followed her orders without a second thought. She crouched over him, placing her hands on his chest as she did so and they began to take on a faint blue glow. She closed her eyes in concentration, her eyes taking on a white glow, signaling to Starfire that she was not with her at the moment. The nervous Tamaranian suddenly glanced to the side, beginning to have the unpleasant feeling that somebody was watching them. She felt her heart pounding against her chest at the thought of a follower.

"Star!" Cyborg screamed, his voice panicked, jerking her out of her faze. She saw the ground around her darkening as the shadow of a looming car was hurled in their direction. She immediately flew in front of Raven and Robin her hands drawn out in front of her. She felt the pounding contact of the vehicle against her hands, and she used her gained strength from the adrenaline coursing through her veins to hold off the crushing impact, as everything around her seemed to slow down.

As the pressure of the car began to lessen and gravity took over, Starfire was left drained and fell to her knees only a short distance away from her friends. She could still hear the sounds of Cyborg and Beast Boy battling Plasmus, however the now horribly mangled car blocked her view of them.

Breathing raggedly, she shakily flew back to Robin's side, noticing how Raven was still in her concentration faze, possibly healing some broken ribs or even internal bleeding. Starfire gingerly placed a trembling hand on the Boy Wonder's temple, just to quell her own nerves but instead became even more alarmed when she noticed a warm wetness against her skin. His head was bleeding. Not good.

A faint clattering nearby distracted her, and she narrowed her eyes as they caught onto something.

It was nothing more than a container; however it was what was inside that had intrigued her. Opening the small packaging, Starfire stared at its contents with a mixture of wonder and amazement, disbelief, and finally suspicion.

Bandages.

"What is that?"

Raven's voice made her start, and she tried to have her heartbeat return to normal, however she doubted that she could with Robin looking so pale beside her.

"His head," she told the empath instead, handing her the bandages so she could wrap them around his temple to stop the flow of blood. Starfire would have done it herself but she doubted that her hands would be steady enough to wrap the injury up efficiently. "Will he be alright?" she asked quickly, biting her lip so hard afterwards that she drew blood.

Raven nodded tiredly. "Broke about three ribs and besides his now eminent concussion, he should be fine."

Starfire let out a massive breath that she hadn't realized she had been holding. "Thank _X'hal," _she murmured, before her green eyes locked on something just over Raven's dark head. Something fluttering had caught her eye, and she still couldn't shake the feeling that maybe-

"Everything okay?" Raven questioned, her eyes narrowed suspiciously, as if she were doubting which Titan had a concussion. "You seem…jumpy."

Starfire's eyes flicked down to her friend before darting back up to the rooftops above and then back down once more. The fluttering she had once thought she had seen had now disappeared, making her feel even less sure of herself. "No, I am not the jumpy," she assured her.

"What the _hell_ happened?!" Cyborg boomed causing Starfire to almost leap in the air, not helping her case. She tried not to swear under her breath.

"Dude, Robin, is he okay?" Beast Boy queried, his voice also shaking slightly. His green hair dripped with Plasmus's goo, and he had a few scratches on his face, however he otherwise seemed unharmed.

"Yes, Raven has healed him. He has yet to awaken though," Starfire answered, her eyes focused on her leader's crumpled form.

"Where's Plasmus…or should I say Otto?" Raven inquired.

Cyborg gritted his teeth. "Got away," he sneered. "Dumb blob snuck off into the sewers again. I'd coordinate a search myself but-"

"Don't," Raven sighed. "We're not fit to fight anymore right now. Let's just head back home, maybe he'll wake up by then."

"So…I guess this means no party right?"


	3. An Unexpected Visitor

**Author's Note:**_ Keep an eye out for the summary of my new story, Emotion Sickness!_

~0~0~0~

Beast Boy flew around ops, flinging decorations wherever he went. Like literally flew…as a hawk. According to Cyborg he could hang up the highest decorations that way, and with Raven in charge of the guest list and Starfire in charge of moving the furniture, there wasn't really another option.

The green changeling landed on the ground gracefully and went through a box of records Cyborg had brought from his room. The cybernetic teen had insisted that he DJ the party and everyone trusted his choice of music enough to allow it.

Beast Boy flung a few records over his shoulder in distaste while Cyborg caught them just barely, shaking his head in disgust at the green Titan and flipping him off when he wasn't looking.

Starfire giggled at the boys' antics while Raven merely rolled her tired eyes, since she had yet to fully awaken. She took a sip of her herbal tea and closed her eyes, breathing in and out in relaxation.

"HEY RAE! YOO-HOO!"

"Azar," the empath muttered, snapping open two bloodshot eyes. "_What?"_ she said shortly.

Beast Boy pursed his lips amusingly. "Well, looks like _somebody _woke up on the wrong side of the dimension this morning. I just wanted to know if you invited normal people to this shindig. It's not a party unless cool peeps are invited!"

Raven's eye twitched.

"He's not going to leave you alone until you do. It would be easier on all of us if you just go for it," Cyborg suggested.

Raven let out a sigh before pulling open one of the kitchen doors and yanking out a list. Her eyes scanned over it for a moment before she began reading them off. "Kid Flash, Jinx, Titans East, Kole, Gnaark, Jericho, Argent, Hotspot, Bushido, Kilowatt, Pantha, Herald, Thunder and Lightning, and Terra…err…Tara I mean," she concluded glancing at Beast Boy hesitantly. "That's who I have so far at least." She shrugged, but the innocent gesture came off a bit awkward.

Beast Boy's face perked up a little when Tara Markov was mentioned. "You think she'll actually come?" he asked hopefully. "I mean she hasn't visited before but maybe-"

"I don't know BB," Cyborg said uneasily, avoiding the changeling's gaze. "I just wouldn't get your hopes up."

Beast Boy's facial expression sagged, and Starfire frowned sympathetically, placing a calming hand on his shoulder. "Do not fret, friend," she told him soothingly. "I am sure she would be most pleased to be able to see us, even if she is not able to make it."

"She won't," Raven muttered bitterly, and Starfire and Cyborg cast meaningful glares at her. She rolled her eyes in response, although she didn't make eye contact with anyone after that.

It was silent for a few moments until Starfire broke it. "Should Robin not engage in the decorating of the Tower as well? The festivities commence in only a matter of days and he is fully healed now."

Beast Boy snorted. "Yeah, good luck with that. He's too busy working on Plasmus's case. Not like he's going to show up any time soon anyway."

"Well perhaps if one of us were to go speak with him…."

The other Titans glanced up at her, the decision already made. Starfire sighed. She should have seen this coming. However she had hoped that someone else would be willing to converse with the Titan leader. She feared he would still be irritable with her from their latest conversation two days prior.

"Very well," she murmured before flying out of the room and down the hallway.

She took her time getting there. Mostly because she needed to sort a few things out in her head, but mainly because she needed the chance to find the words to say to the stubborn Boy Wonder.

So it only made sense that his door would appear in front of her all too early. She paused in front of it, as she always did before taking a deep breath and knocking twice.

"What?"

"Robin?" she called tentatively. "It is me."

She could tell he was mulling the decision of whether to let her in or not, because it was silent on the other side of the door for several moments. Her heart continued to hammer in her chest, even after he said, "Alright, come in."

The door slid open and then shut behind her, and her eyes instantly needed to adjust to the sudden darkness. Once they did, she could slightly make out the darkened figure of Robin himself crouched over his desk. The only light source coming from his desk lamp.

Starfire stared at the crumpled pieces of paper on the floor, and then at the perfectly neat bed, indicating that he had slept the majority of the night hours by his desk. The most disturbing sight however was looking at Robin himself.

His normally neat and tidy gelled hair was messy and ragged, and slouched to the left side of his head. His skin was even paler than normal, although Starfire couldn't determine if that was due to the eerie lighting or the slight decline in his health. His clothes were crumpled as if he spent days in them, and he probably had. His hands shook slightly as he struggled to scrawl something on a piece of paper before opting to crumple it up and toss in on the floor among the others anyway.

Starfire cleared her throat as she placed her hands on the back of his chair. Unsure of what to say, she decided to just start by stating the obvious. "You…have been working long."

"Yeah."

She bit her lip. "Have you…acquired any new information regarding Plasmus?"

He paused and looked up, not at her but at the wall in front of him. Another moment later he had drawn out another piece of paper and started to scribble on that one too. His silence spoke to her loud and clear.

She opted to sit on his bed, since she could tell the conversation wouldn't be going anywhere anytime soon. The mattress compressed slightly beneath her weight, yet she didn't relax against his pillows. She sat up tall, her back parallel to the wall.

"The decorations are just about ready," she continued, fiddling with a strand of her hair. "Since you are of a somewhat healthier condition, I was perhaps wondering if you would maybe like to-"

"Can't."

She frowned. He wasn't even trying to hear her out. If she was in his position and he was in hers he would certainly lose his temper right around now. However she wasn't like him in that respect, and in many others as well.

She coughed. "Then allow me to assist you."

"I need to do this myself," he muttered.

"_Robin!" _she scolded, angry at herself for becoming short with him so soon. "_This_," she gestured to his room, "is not healthy. You need to be around people, around friends. Not around the false leads or imaginary cases!" She couldn't believe she was saying this, she should have stopped herself. But the tears were threatening to spill over again. She was in danger of breaking down, so she knew she had to get out of there fast.

She nearly sprinted to the door, her hand automatically reaching for the button, but Robin's voice stopped her.

"Starfire."

She hated it. She hated the control he had over her, over her emotions. It was _rutha _of her; but she stopped anyway, waiting for him to continue.

"…I'm sorry."

She didn't know what to say. She stuttered a bit before finally whispering, "I am sorry too." Then the door slid shut behind her.

This time, it was her that needed space. So naturally she flew to the roof again, took a seat on the edge and placed her head on her knees, closing her watering eyes as she did so.

Why was he always so stubborn? He didn't need to lock himself within his room the entire time, especially not when he had his friends that were willing to support him in his time of need. But no, whenever someone tried to get into his mind just a little bit, he shut them out. As Starfire thought this over, she began to wonder if she was the stubborn one. After all, Robin had never asked for comfort or had even hinted for it. Was it even her place to assume he needed companionship? She knew he was just trying to help out for the benefit of the team and for the city, but what could he possibly do to solve an unsolvable case? At least because he just didn't have enough information yet.

"That was…interesting."

Starfire's eyes snapped open. Had Robin followed her up to the roof? No, although it sounded much like Robin she could detect the slight alteration of the voice due to cloaking technology. However she still could detect this voice anywhere.

She instantly shifted into a battle stance, her eyes glowing a fierce green and her hands lit up with powerful energy. She bared her teeth and let out a warning hiss as she leaned forward ever so slightly, as if she were a tiger ready to pounce.

Her eyes met with his blank, soulless ones, made of the same material as Robin's mask. Despite her threatening position he hadn't even flinched from where he stood, leaning against the metal door to the roof's entrance, a smirk on his face.

Red X.

He had changed since Starfire had last seen him. He had fought on the opposing side of the Titans during the battle of the Brotherhood of Evil but had disappeared when the battle got too intense. He clearly didn't want to stay loyal to any side, especially the one that was losing.

His muscles were more defined and he was taller now. He had always been around the same height as Starfire herself, but now he was surely a few inches taller than her at most. His arms were crossed and she could tell he was waiting for her to say something.

"What are you doing here?" she snarled. "You are not welcome."

His smirk grew deeper as she responded. He casually pushed himself off of his leaning post and stood up straight. Yes, he was definitely a few inches taller.

"I was in the neighborhood and thought I would drop by for a visit. Didn't know I was interrupting something."

Despite her anger, Starfire couldn't help but blush slightly. What went on between her and Robin was their business, and she really didn't appreciate some thief meddling with her potential love life…or her lack of one anyway.

"You are not welcome here," she repeated. "You are a heartless thief who should be locked up for the crimes you have committed."

Red X placed a hand to his chest; a mock expression of hurt crossed his features. "Ouch, I'm offended. And here I thought you were the friendly one." He jumped back slightly as she fired a weak starbolt at his feet. "Hey, watch it."

"No, I will not do the 'watching of it.' You will leave immediately or I will-"

"Arrest me for a crime I didn't commit? Last time I checked cutie, Robin and I were even. I don't owe him anything and neither does he. I'd like to keep it that way for now, if that's okay with you."

Starfire's starbolts wavered for a few moments before blinking out. "What is your purpose here then?"

Red X shrugged. "Like I said, I just came by to visit. Didn't really expect to find anything interesting going on though. Not like what's going on with Bird Boy at least. Thought I'd just hang around for a bit longer. See what happens."

Starfire's eyes regained their glow as fury seeped over her. "What is going on between Robin and I is none of your business!"

Red X raised his eyebrows in disbelief. "I didn't say there was anything going on between you and him. You just told me that all on your own."

Starfire stuttered. Had he really just worked that out of her? Or was she simply too dysfunctional to even keep her own mouth shut? "I-I mean…w-we-"

"Aw, look what I did. You're all flustered now," Red X smirked again, causing Starfire's hands to curl into fists. "Of course, not as flustered as you were back there."

"Now I believe it is your turn to do the watching of it," she seethed.

"Did I strike a nerve? Not gonna lie, I really didn't picture someone like you would be after someone like-"

Starfire launched herself at the black clad thief, her hands brandishing starbolts. He seemed to expect her attack for he ducked easily and she soared right over him. She paused for a moment in the air before flipping around and coming straight back at him. She tossed several starbolts his way to which he effortlessly avoided them by flipping out of harm's way. The way he moved reminded her so much of Robin that she found herself holding back slightly. As ridiculous as it might have seemed she simply did not have the heart or the state of mind to battle him at full force. She thought he sensed this too, because he didn't seem as apt to get away as he normally did.

Still she had to keep an image up as a Titan, and she knew it was her responsibility to incapacitate him, even if he hadn't committed any recent crimes.

He danced around her starbolts which she began firing more frequently. He tossed up some explosive bombs to catch her off guard but she expected this. She swerved sharply to the right to avoid them however she sailed right into the electric net he threw up next. She was shocked powerfully and with a yelp of pain was jerked right out of the air and came crashing in a heap on the ground. She could make out Red X's feet on the other side of the netting, waiting for her to rise before he initiated another attack.

Outraged that he could have defeated her so easily, Starfire ripped through the net, ignoring the shocks that penetrated her body and launched herself at X again, who leapt back and threw a large x at her. This time she was prepared for his trick and she avoided the weapon while also keeping in mind that he had just thrown up more smoke bombs. She dropped to the ground and landed on her feet gracefully, intending to fight him in hand to hand combat instead.

She heard Red X chuckle and he made the "come at me sign" but it wasn't in a threatening way. In fact it reminded Starfire of combat practice with Robin.

_X'hal, I must stop comparing them, _she thought, irritated at herself.

With a grunt she lashed out with her fist which was blazing with green. Red X dodged to the side and swept his foot in a semicircle, sweeping her legs out from under her. She instantly did a backwards roll, her foot connecting with his stomach harshly. He grunted in pain and for a minute she believed that he would toss up his lunch, however he instead ducked to the side and threw out a punch. She grabbed his hand swiftly and enjoyed in the fact that his eyes went wide in dread. She tossed him like a sack of potatoes behind her and he crashed against the roof's entrance.

She flew at him then, circling her arms around his stomach but he turned and threw her to the side. She landed on her feet and gave him the opportunity to stand up before lashing out again, this time with her foot. She gasped as he grabbed her leg, and, curling his fingers around her calf, pushed her to the ground.

As Starfire lost her balance she tugged on X's shoulders forcing him down on top of her. He chuckled as he came face to face with her, and he propped himself up on the palm of his hand. "Guess you didn't expect this huh, cutie?" he asked her, however his face changed from amused to irritated as the sounds of footsteps drew closer and closer.

Of course, the others would be wondering what was going on. They were being quite loud. Red X swore before he stuck an x blade right next to the right side of her head. "See you around," he muttered before reaching for his belt and disappearing.

The Titans came bounding up onto the roof a moment later, Robin leading in the front. They stared in bewilderment at what they saw. Starfire lay flat on her back staring up at the sky in utter shock. The most stunning part for them was that she was now clutching the x that had been placed right beside her head only moments ago.


	4. So Many Questions

Starfire finished brushing her teeth and placed her toothbrush on the bathroom counter before splashing water on her face. She sighed in relaxation as she felt the warm splash of the water against her skin. Today had been, exhausting to say the least. In between preparing for the party which would be held in two days she also had to try to keep Robin's eager stream of questions at bay.

She understood why he had wondered about the return of Red X, especially since she had been holding the one shred of evidence that proved it was him, but it was honestly getting rather tiring. She finally had to brush him off by telling him that there was still Plasmus's case to work on as well, although she hated herself for it.

Starfire suspected from the moment Red X had stuck his weapon beside her, that it was merely to let the other Titans know loud and clear that he was back. The whole thing was a game to him after all.

However the more and more she thought about it, the more sense it made to Starfire. Red X must have gotten rather bored if he was to go looking for trouble…or at least have a conversation with her. Now that she thought it over more thoroughly, she concluded that the sly thief probably didn't have a lot, despite how much he stole. She couldn't picture him having a family to go to, or even friends to hang out with. Then again, she didn't know nearly anything about him, besides the fact that he was a flirtatious creep.

Stepping into her room she jumped on her bed and giggled at the slight squeak of the mattress's springs, marveling at the soft plush of the cushion. She heard a series of small noises and she lifted her face slightly, grinning as her chin was covered with slimy rough licks from a bouncing Silkie who had climbed his way onto the bed beside her, and was currently sitting happily on her chest.

Starfire rested her head on her pillow, a position she rarely took. She didn't normally like the feel of the pillow against her head. It was far too soft, and she loathed the way her skull sunk into the cushion, she was afraid that she would be enveloped by it one day and suffocate. So naturally, it only took a few moments before she switched positions, pushing Silkie off of her gently so he could scurry to his own bed on the ground beside hers. She sighed as the back of her neck leaned against the end of her bed, allowing her head to hang, her hair falling back from her face.

Despite her troubled mind she managed to find sleep quite easily. She dreamt that she was in a hallway of never ending doors and as she raced to open all of them, more kept appearing before her. It was very frustrating, but fortunately the vision morphed quickly.

Next she was in a vast desert with nothing but sand stretched out before her. She wasn't hungry or thirsty; because suddenly the Titans' usual pizza table appeared before her and she sat down to have a slice of the earthen food, although she was slightly disappointed at the lack of mustard.

The dream morphed for the third time, to Robin's desk and Beast Boy and Cyborg watching it from a distance, just shaking their heads at the unoccupied piece of furniture. Starfire turned her head slightly and her eyes stretched wide in confusion as Raven stared back at her, watching her with the same distaste that the other boys had for the desk.

Then she was on her bed again, staring up at the ceiling, except figures danced in front of her, so it had to still be a dream. She shivered slightly and she thought she felt goosebumps form along her arms. That was unusual. She almost never felt Earth's temperature, unless she was increasingly confused, which she supposed she was now, now that she thought of it.

She heard noises. They were small and faint and she couldn't identify any of them. A face loomed over her. It seemed dark at first, but upon closer inspection she realized it was actually very pale, like the moon. The eyes were masked and the head itself was dark. It looked like hair. It probably was.

Starfire reached a hand up to touch the face. Her fingers made contact with the cloth around the figure's eyes and her lips twitched up in a smile. She knew that face anywhere.

_"Robin…"_

Or at least she thought she did.

The face jerked away from her touch and she frowned, confused and a little upset. Where was he going? Then her heart dropped as he spoke. "You sleep funny."

Her eyes snapped open, and she was about to let out a scream, but a cloth hand covered her mouth first. She grunted indignantly and then it was her turn to jerk away. "_X'hal_ you gave me the heart attack! What-" she paused and lowered her voice, afraid that the others would wake up because of her. "What do you think you are doing?! I have told you to leave me alone!"

"No you didn't," Red X argued, crossing his arms. "Besides I thought you'd be pleased to see me. At least you were right up until you knew it was me."

Starfire hoped desperately that he could not see her blush a deep shade of red in the darkness. "I do not know what you are referring to," she told him lamely.

He waved his hand dismissively at her. "Never mind," he strode over to the side of her bed. "Mind if I have a seat?" She didn't answer right away so he just shrugged and plopped himself down on the bed his hands resting under his head. "So…what's up?"

She stared at him blankly. "Have you damaged your head in some shape or form?"

He chuckled. "Last time I checked, no. You don't seem to get it, cutie. I can leave anytime I choose, it's as simple as jumping out that window over there," he gestured to where he meant. "But there's nothing really for me out there."

"And there is in here?"

He smirked. "Well if I didn't think so, would I still be here?"

Starfire narrowed her eyes, not liking where this was headed. "So…you are trying to peruse the romantic relationship with me?" she concluded, remembering the first time they met.

Red X laughed out loud and she cringed, hoping the others wouldn't hear it. "You really just jump right to the point don't you?"

"You are saying I am correct?"

He shrugged again, but he was smirking this time. "Truth be told I was just looking for a good time, someone to 'chat' with, and you've always seemed like the chatty one. But if you ever change your mind, you know where to find me."

Starfire opened her mouth to point out that she didn't actually know where to find him, but she figured the point was fruitless anyhow. "I cannot associate myself with you."

"Little late for that isn't?" he paused, and then his smirk grew deeper. "You know, don't you think I at least deserve a kiss for going out of my way to see you?"

Her hands curled into fists but then she calmed herself as she realized something. "You are willing to trust me with your identity?"

Red X pushed himself up in a sitting position. "I didn't say that. However I'd maybe be willing to make an exception….just this once."

Starfire snorted. "If I am ever to engage in lip contact with you, it would merely for language transference purposes. You are a criminal. A loathsome, heartless, mercifulness-"

"You don't know how I am."

"I have seen enough."

"That's what you think."

It was silent for several moments after that. The two stared at each other both too deep in their own thoughts to really say anything else. Finally Starfire piped in as the silence began to hang thicker in the air.

"I may not know much about you, but you know nothing about me."

Red X tapped his chin as he stood up his eyes finally becoming narrowed as if he was speculating her reaction to his next words. "That can change."

She blinked in bewilderment. "H-how?"

He raised his hands gesturing to her. "You like games don't you? Why don't we play one? It might loosen the tension between our blossoming relationship," he teased.

Starfire frowned. Was this crazy? This was crazy, wasn't it? Since when did she sit around having conversations with wanted criminals at two o'clock in the morning? "I am not sure if I…"

"In all fairness, what do you have to lose?" X pointed out. When the Tamaranian Princess still did not give an answer he added, "If you play, I'll promise to leave you alone after it's over and done with."

She narrowed her eyes in thought. On one hand she couldn't trust him and whatever this "game" was about, however on the other hand, she really didn't enjoy his company. She didn't mind it, but she had to admit it was much less stressful with him not around.

"I do not trust you," she concluded, "So the answer unfortunately for your sake, is a no. You may escort yourself out."

"Alright, fine," Red X said, putting his hands up defensively and backing up towards the window. "Just thought we'd exchange a little knowledge. I'm sure Robin knows where to look for Plasmus anyway." He turned around to leap out the window.

"Wait!"

Red X paused, not helping the smile that crept over his lips. He turned his face sideways. "You called?"

"You were the shadow that has been lurking around me were you not? You supplied the bandages, as well as released the bomb when I had returned from my shopping?" she questioned, her fingers kneading her palms anxiously.

"Well _yeah. _Honestly cutie, I thought that'd be obvious by now."

"Why?" Starfire asked, floating closer to him.

He raised his eyebrows. "Why what?"

"Why commit a good dead then tarnish it with a bad one? Why help Robin at all?" Her eyes were searching, but she couldn't detect anything with that stupid mask in the way.

"Like I said, you don't know anything about me," he answered before reaching for his belt. Starfire grabbed his hand however, restraining him from teleporting.

"No, do not go just yet," she pleaded. "Please, I merely wish to understand."

"Let me guess, understand where Plasmus is?" he inquired blandly.

She shook her head. "That is only partly the answer. I wish to know more about you. Perhaps there is some good-"

There was a small noise on the other side of the door.

The two froze in alarm. Starfire let out a small gasp but Red X's hand covered her mouth muffling it. He turned her face towards his and whispered ever so softly.

"If you want answers, meet me at the docks on the other side of the city tomorrow afternoon."

Then, before she could protest, he vanished.

~0~0~0~

Robin was chewing off the eraser on the end of his pencil. He was doing it subconsciously of course, because he was entirely too focused on questioning the nervous Tamaranian in front of him.

He thought for a moment more before firing out his next question. "Did he attack you?"

Starfire didn't answer him right away; she was much too busy watching him slowly naw of the rubber, his teeth circling around the tip, his index finger tapping fervently on the pencil itself. She shook her head to clear her thoughts once she realized he was waiting for an answer.

"Hmm?" she questioned innocently, blushing only slightly.

Robin sighed again, the tired sound lingering in his throat. "Did Red X attack you?" he repeated, slightly annoyed this time.

Starfire blinked in confusion. Had he attacked her? She was the one to initiate any type of aggressive behavior. Red X was only there to talk, he had said so himself…wait…was she _defending _him?

"No," she responded quickly, her eyes flicking off to the side. "I launched myself at him in an attack. He merely retaliated."

Robin nodded in thought, his tongue wetting the eraser slightly. Starfire briefly wondered how terrible the rubber must taste, but the Boy Wonder didn't seem to notice. "I see, and then what was he planning to do with this?" He held out the x blade, twirling it between his fingers.

She nervously twirled a strand of long red hair in between her fingers. "I believe he merely wished for us to know that he had returned."

"Well, he has our attention," Robin muttered, glaring at the weapon in his hand. He had abandoned the pencil whose poor eraser had been reduced to a tattered nub. He instead focused on tracing the outline of the blade, as if he could figure out what Red X was planning if he studied it hard enough.

Starfire's fingers began to twitch and she found that twirling her hair had become difficult. She really didn't want to talk about Red X now, _especially _since she was planning to see him that very night. She already felt guilty enough about it as it was, but she kept telling herself that she was helping Robin's case by getting Plasmus's disappearance off his back. However now that she was in his room being interrogated she figured she might as well ask a few questions of her own.

"Have you…managed to salvage any information about Plasmus?" she asked, hopeful that this would distract him, as well as inform her on the current situation of the case.

Robin instantly perked up at that. "Actually, I have."

He rolled his desk chair back a little and opened a drawer, pulling out a microscope, as well as two glass slates, both of which contained a purple goo like substance.

"This," he said holding up one slide then sliding it under the microscope, "is a sample of the Plasmus when we fought him only just a few weeks ago." He moved to the side so she could have a look.

There honestly wasn't much to see. The goo was completely still, and not very appealing to look at. It resembled a chipped scab with a little bit of blood leakage. Starfire fought not to cringe. She moved away from the device as Robin slid the slide out from under the light. He then held up the second slide.

"And this," he continued, "is a sample of the Plasmus we fought just a few days ago. Here have a look." He placed the specimen under the microscope and Starfire took a peek at it.

It was basically the same thing as the first slide; however she could detect tiny particles inside the goo that were moving wildly; bouncing off each other, some sticking together and then splitting apart.

Starfire, now thoroughly confused moved away from the device a second time and glanced at the Titan leader blankly. She wasn't sure what she could say, so she stated the obvious. "They are different."

"Well yeah, but don't you get it?" he inquired eagerly, his eyes widening in excitement. "The components of both samples are completely different. The first sample was taken from when was Plasmus was active and so was the second. I even called the Jump City Prison to see what they had on records of Otto Von Furth and they reported that he was still locked up."

Starfire's eyes widened. "So the Plasmus we fought is not the real Plasmus? But how?"

"I'm not sure yet," Robin admitted turning back to collect the remaining sample. "Maybe someone created a clone of him, but I couldn't imagine who or how that would even be possible. I still need to figure it out."

"Perhaps I could assist you?" she suggested for what seemed like the thousandth time that week, however for once she was okay with his answer. She had enough information now to really interrogate Red X like she had wanted to.

"That's okay," he told her as he usually did, waving his hand in dismissal. "I need to do this alone. Besides, you should help the others with that party. It's tomorrow night after all."

**Author's Note: **_If you think there isn't going to be drama at the party you are dead wrong my friends. :o_


	5. The Question Game

The night was silent. And dark. And a little frightening. Shadows lurked at every corner, and Starfire couldn't tell if they were real people, or just her mind playing tricks on her. Sure, she liked to go out for nighttime flights, but that generally took place up in the air, away from the mysterious and ominous looking alleyways. She just had to fly a little further and then she would be safe…mostly.

Honestly, what was she doing though? With every meter that she drifted closer to the pier her stomachs began to weigh down more and more with an unpleasant feeling. She had felt this feeling before when she had lied to her friends about Silkie, or when she had had to fight Robin when he was Slade's apprentice. Even when she had battled Terra she had felt this sensation. Guilt.

Although she wasn't _really _actually lying to her friends it still felt wrong doing what she was doing. She felt as though she had betrayed them somehow. But she was doing this for her own good, as well as the city's own good, so she shouldn't feel this way. Still though, as hard as Starfire tried to remain positive about her decision, the troubling feeling deep with inside her did not disappear or even lessen. She just had to trust her instincts now because this time, she was on her own.

She landed a few feet away from the start of the dock. She was afraid to go out any further in case this was some sort of trap. It would be such a Red X thing to do to double cross her, no pun intended.

Starfire flinched at the sound of her feet echoing against the metal hangover. She was very paranoid right now so she wasn't really too fond of the idea of giving away her position. She floated closer to the water instead, landing only when she had reached the end of the metal walkway. She sighed as she felt the cooling spray of the ocean crashing against the rocks below. She placed her hands on the metal railing and closed her eyes for a moment, forgetting where she was.

So naturally she was a tad bit surprised when she heard a gentle thud behind her, and despite her better judgment, her muscles tensed as if she was about to attack. The notion was ridiculous of course, considering she had come here out of her own free will.

"Didn't think you would come," he told her from where he stood. Judging from the distance of his voice, Starfire assumed he was several feet away from here. Which was fine. She could use a little space right now.

"I have had similar thoughts regarding you," she answered back, trying to make her voice sound indifferent, and she almost cursed in Tamaranian when it trembled slightly. She took a final deep breath before turning around and crossing her arms. Her eyes narrowed in what she hoped was an intimidating expression, however Red X didn't seem unnerved in the slightest.

"So why have you asked to meet here? You requested a game of knowledge did you not?" she questioned, her unusual eyebrows deepening in a slightly annoyed expression. "Well, I would like to inform you that I have no time for such games. _I _have merely come to retain information on Plasmus."

Red X's eyebrow raised just a little. "Really? And here I thought you were here to change my ways."

"That too."

He chuckled. "Well if that's the case, then there's no time to waste." He paused as a few drops of rain fell from the sky. "But first let's find some shelter."

~0~0~0~

Starfire shuffled on the cold ground of the metal shack they were currently situated in. It was a damp smelly old place that looked as though it had been abandoned quite a while ago. There were spider webs wound up tightly on the ceiling and rusty metal contraptions that were coated in a thick layer of dust. As she moved to get in a more comfortable position she stirred up some of the dust on the ground and into the air, causing her to let out a hearty sneeze.

As she wiped her nose, Starfire kept a careful eye on Red X, who had yet to have a seat. He instead opted to lean against a stack of equally dusty boxes, his arms crossed and the usual smirk etched across his face.

"Comfy?" he asked teasingly, and merely received a glare in response. He shrugged at her rude attempt at an answer and sighed before straightening himself slightly and resuming the conversation. "So this is how the game works. I ask a question and you have to answer it truthfully, otherwise there's no point in playing. The questions will start out simple and then slowly get more personal the longer we play. If a question is asked that you don't want to answer you have one chance to back out of it. However I suggest you save it for something _very _personal. You can't repeat the same question twice, and you can't back out once we start. Any questions?"

Starfire shook her head. She was ready. She was sure of it. "Who is to go first?"

Red X snorted. "I'll leave that up to you."

She cocked her head to the side in suspicion. Was he just saying that to be nice, or did he have another motive? Normally she would have gone with the latter, but what did she have to lose?

"Very well," she nodded towards him. "I shall go first."

Red X probably expected that from her because his expression didn't change in the slightest. There was a beat of silence before, "Hate to break it to you, cutie, but you have to ask a question first."

Starfire blushed ever so slightly in embarrassment. She tapped her index finger on her chin and allowed a thinking frown to creep over her face. She wanted to know many things about the wanted criminal in front of her; the matter however was where she should start.

"What is your true name?" she asked simply, smiling. That was a good place to start. However her smile disappeared when Red X snorted and shook his head.

"Didn't take you long to break the rules did it?" he scoffed.

Starfire, now completely irritated rose from where she sat. "What do you mean?! I have not broken 'the rules.' You are doing the lying!"

"What part of, 'start off with an easy question' didn't you understand?"

The Tamaranian's cheeks were dusted over with a dark shade of red. Now that she thought about it, she had broken the rules. It was quite embarrassing. Nevertheless she tried to cover up her error with a wave of dismissal and annoyance.

"Then _you _shall ask me a question since you are the expert on such matters." She sat back down and pouted.

"Fine…what's your favorite color?"

Starfire blinked in surprise. Had he really just asked her that? "Um…I do not have a preference. I adore purple and the light shades of green, but I have recently grown fonder of yellow…"

Red X nodded. "Okay, now it's your turn."

Starfire furrowed her eyebrows in thought, however for some reason it was much simpler to come up with a question now. "What is your favorite activity or hobby?"

He shrugged. "That's easy. Working on cars, bikes, etc. You could say I'm somewhat close to an expert." He paused when he noticed her bewildered expression. "Not really the answer you were expecting?"

"No it was not," she admitted. "I thought you would say stealing."

Red X sighed before coming to sit across from her. He leaned back so his palms were flat against the ground behind him. Outside the rain picked up even more and the wind rattled against windowpanes and old vents. "Stealing is not something I do for fun, although I do get a bit of a rush from it. I only steal because I have to."

"But you do not have to," she pointed out, placing her chin on her knees. "You have remarkable skill, and Robin has connections with various people. Perhaps you could…"

He stiffened. "You're not saying that I should become a Titan are you?"

Starfire winced. "It was a mere suggestion."

Red X chuckled darkly before shaking his head. "I'm not the hero type."

"That is not true. You have helped my friends and I on many an occasion."

"But that was just to get even."

"If you were a true villain than that would not matter."

He drummed his fingers on the floor impatiently. "I never said I was a villain…or a hero…let's just get back to the game."

Starfire nodded. "Yes, my apologies for digressing. I believe it is your turn."

He clicked his tongue twice before asking his next question. "So you and Robin…?"

"I will pass the question," she cut in abruptly.

His mask shifted slightly appearing as though he had rolled his eyes. "Do you _really _want to throw away your only pass on something like _that?_ Seems like a waste if you ask me."

"However I did not ask you."

"Fine, fine, but I have to ask something else then," he pointed out.

Now it was her turn to roll her eyes. "If you must."

"What planet are you from, exactly?"

She perked up almost instantly at the question. "I am from Tamaran. It is located in the Vegan System, many miles from Earth. It is a planet based on war and ferocity, but it is a most interesting place." Her green eyes glazed over with her happy memories of her home planet before she snapped back to. She cleared her throat and folded her hands very professionally. "What…color are your eyes?"

Red X looked at her strangely. "Why would you want to know that?"

It was her turn to shrug, as she had seen him do it many times. "I am simply curious. I know nothing of what you look like."

He ran a hand tiredly over his face. "I…don't know…grayish blue, I guess."

Starfire tried to picture his eyes. She imagined them to be beautiful and majestic, just like how she imagined Robin's to be, however she didn't even know the color of his.

"Do you have any siblings?"

"Yes," she told him, tensing slightly, but she forced her muscles to relax. "I have an older sister named Blackfire, and a younger brother who goes by Wildfire."

He raised his eyebrows. "Why so many 'fires'?"

A smug smile crept across her face. "If I am not mistaken I believe it is now my turn." She reveled in the fact of Red X's clear annoyance. This wasn't so bad, sharing things with him. It was good to talk to somebody outside the Tower, even if it was about something seemingly meaningless. "Where are you from?"

"Jump City," he responded so quickly that she knew instantly that he was lying.

"You misunderstand," she told him, although in reality she believed he knew exactly what she was inquiring. "I meant where you lived before you moved to the city of Jump."

He coughed. "Let's just say it's far away and leave it at that."

Starfire was about to protest at the lack of a real answer but he jumped in before she could say anything else on the matter.

"How did you come to Earth?"

"I did not plan to," she admitted. "I was being pursued by a revolting race known as the Gordanians who wished to capture me and destroy me for escaping their clutches from past experiences. I had just recently broken out of the chamber they had kept me in and had done the crash-landing onto this world unintentionally. Robin mistook my frantic behavior for violence and attacked. The others joined soon after and we did the getting to know each other better after I learned English." She cringed as she mentioned that last part. Hopefully he hadn't caught that.

Fortunately he didn't seem to so she proceeded with her turn. "Do you consider us to be…friends?"

The question threw him completely and utterly off his guard, even she could see that. However this time she didn't revel in the feeling of surprising him, she really wanted to know the answer.

"I…don't have any friends," he finished lamely, getting up from where he sat. "It's time for me to go."

Starfire stood up abruptly. That was it? What was his angle? "What about our deal? You said you obtained information about Plasmus."

"He's being cloned," he stated simply.

"I already knew that," she narrowed her eyes angrily.

He shrugged for what seemed like the fiftieth time. "Not my problem." He reached for his belt intending to teleport out of there but Starfire held her hand up.

"Will I not see you again?" she asked her eyes wide and slightly hopeful. He had opened up to her a little bit more and she believed that if they kept these visits going, she could maybe even change his mind as to which side he was on.

Although instead of directly answering her question a smirk just appeared across his face. "Bye, cutie."

And then he was gone.

**Author's Note: **_Next chapter: It's time for a P-A-R-T-Y!_


	6. No Reason to Celebrate

**Author's Note: **_This chapter is dedicated to Alyssa who requested a song-fic._

By nine o'clock that night the celebration for the defeat of the Brotherhood of Evil was in full swing. Everyone who had fought in the battle was there, laughing, eating, singing, dancing, gaming, or just having a good time.

All the preparations had gone according to plan, all except for the glorious cake which Beast Boy had dropped while taking it out of the oven. Just when Cyborg was about to pummel him into green paste, Starfire quickly came to his aid, reminding the robotic teen that there was a fancy bakery in town and that she could pick another cake up during the party.

Currently the changeling was grabbing a hand full of snacks and staring around the room rather glumly-which was completely out of character for him-as he searched for a familiar face. Raven joined him a few seconds after, standing shoulder to shoulder beside him. She watched him briefly before sighing.

"She's not here," she told him.

Beast Boy shoved a handful of chips in his mouth and munched nervously. "Maybe she's just running late. Or maybe she lost her invitation…"

"Beast Boy look at me." And the green Titan did just that.

Raven took a deep breath before continuing. "Whether Terra…err…_Tara_ comes or not is irrelevant. You can't base your life around her. If she was too much of an idiot to not show up…to not want to spend time with you, then that's her problem. Because I for one-" she stopped abruptly as he raised his eyebrows at her and she willed herself not to blush. "I-I for one need to try some of that dip over there," she finished lamely and drifted off at once.

Just across the room, Starfire was conversing with Argent about her current relationship with Hotspot and how he had bought her a necklace before they had come to the party. It was adorned with several small rubies wound tightly around a black chain, and Starfire complimented it when Argent presented it to her.

After their conversation had ended, she felt the unmistakable feeling that she felt when she knew someone was watching her. She looked up and her eyes connected with Robin's. They held the gaze for a moment before an easy smile spread across her face. He mimicked her expression however the gesture seemed rather unnatural. She assumed this was because it had been weeks since he had last smiled.

He broke their semi-nice connection after a few moments when his gaze raised to someone who had walked through the door. Starfire frowned as she saw his lips adjust slightly and she blinked in surprise as his smile became completely natural. She followed where his eyes fell and her heart sank.

Standing in the doorway was a girl she had only heard about and seen photos or newspaper articles of. She noted how the new guest she saw before her was ten times as beautiful in person than she was in the pictures. She was slender and the tiny bit of skin that was exposed around her pale blue eyes was a creamy hue. Her hair was a similar color to Starfire's except it had a tad more brown in it. Her uniform was slim fitting and she carried herself with such confidence and ease that the Tamaranian become slightly envious. She could never truly look as comfortable as the girl standing before her.

Robin immediately went over to her and she followed, as it was good manners to welcome a newcomer to their home. She also was eager to meet the girl for she had heard many wonderful things about her. Now that she thought about it, they had all come from Robin and she tried to not let that bother her.

"Hey there, Boy Wonder, long time no see," Batgirl smirked, punching Robin lightly on the shoulder. He laughed easily and gave her a 1000 watt smile.

"Hey Batgirl, glad you could make it."

"You were the one to invite her?" Starfire questioned innocently.

Robin gave a slight nod in her direction before turning back to his childhood friend. "I'm guessing you didn't convince him to come?"

"Well did you expect him to dress up in a 'born to party' t-shirt?" she asked skeptically. "He barely allowed me to come, but luckily I have my ways." She winked.

"It doesn't matter, as long as you're here," he said meaningfully.

There was a beat of silence before Starfire cleared her throat. This seemed to snap Robin back to reality. "Oh! This is Starfire. Starfire, this is Batgirl. We were-"

"Partners in crime, yes?" she finished for him with a little less joy than usual.

"I guess you could say that," Batgirl beamed, and then stuck out her hand. "Nice to meet you."

Starfire uneasily shook her hand but smiled at the girl's kindness. "The pleasure is all mine. Robin has told me many wonderful things about you."

"Has he?" Batgirl cocked her eyebrow at this and Robin's face reddened slightly. "Well he's told me a few things about you too. I hear you guys make quite a team."

Starfire smiled. She tried not to think about what Robin could have possibly said about her. She didn't have long to ponder this because Batgirl soon departed from them to talk to Kid Flash. A new song blasted in the room except this time the ballad was a little slower. Starfire turned to Robin.

"Would you perhaps like to dance?" she asked hopefully. However to her dismay Robin backed away from her chuckling uncomfortably.

"I don't dance, Star, sorry," he told her scratching the back of his head awkwardly.

Starfire nodded in understanding although she felt her heart sink with sadness. She wanted to point out the fact that he _had_ danced with her after the mission involving Kitten, but she herself didn't feel like arguing with him.

"I understand, friend," she said with false brightness, then pretended to look at a nearby clock. "Besides, it is about time I pick up the cake of celebration from the bakery. I shall return shortly." She flew out of the room and away from the Tower without another word.

~0~0~0~

The party was still going strong ten minutes later, but Starfire had yet to return. Robin was about to check her communicator to see if she required any help when he felt a slight tap on his shoulder. He slid the T-comm back into his pocket and turned around to see Batgirl smirking at him.

"Hey, what's up?" he asked. "Did you talk to Wally?"

"Yeah, and he's still the lovable idiot that I remember," she answered laughing. "What's his new girlfriend's name? Jenny? Jin?"

"Jinx, actually," Robin corrected her. "She used to be on the opposite us, but he swayed her. It's taken me a while to get used to it, but she's a Titan now, and honestly, I'm glad she is."

"That's good to here. Didn't think you of all people would have a heart," she said, chuckling, then sobered. "Hey, is there somewhere quiet we could go? I need to talk to you…_alone_."

The smile that was adorned on the Boy Wonder's face instantly twisted into his normal serious expression. "Yeah, I know a place." He briefly looked around to make sure no one was watching before he led her out of the room and onto the Titan roof.

They left the door open so the quiet hum of the party music filled the air. Batgirl walked near the edge of the roof and folded her arms around her, as if hugging herself. Robin stayed a few feet behind her, watching her with a concerned expression. It was silent for several moments before she finally broke the silence.

"I've missed you," she spoke softly. "So has Alfred. So has…well, you know."

Robin sighed. "Look, if you're trying to convince me to go back it's not going to-"

"That's not it," she cut him off, holding herself tighter. "I...I shouldn't have come. It was stupid of me to. Part of me wanted to know if it was possibly to…to win you back, but…things have changed Dick. I've never felt so confused."

"What are you talking about?"

She turned to face him, biting her lip. The expression reminded him of Starfire, which surprised him. Batgirl looked at everywhere but him. She was hiding something, and he wasn't about to just let that go.

"Babs," he said sternly, yet in that caring tone he always spoke around her…and another redhead that he knew about.

Her eyes connected with his. "I'm getting married."

His mouth dropped. He tried to speak a few times, before clearing his throat and trying again. "B-but you're so-"

"Young?" she finished, then laughed bitterly. "Dad thought so too. I don't think so though. I'm almost twenty; I'm old enough to make my own decisions."

"Who's the lucky guy?"

"You don't know him. Jason Bard. We've been working together for a while now. He proposed a few weeks ago. Thought I should tell you. I love him Dick, I really do…it's just, things have been happening so fast and I-I wanted to know how you were…just to know where we stood."

He surveyed her with a suspicious expression. "And if I were to drop everything and claim my undying love for you?"

She shrugged. "Then I would be even more confused than I am now. I just wanted to see you again before I get hitched." She suddenly looked incredibly guilty.

The music became quieter as "Only Hope," by Mandy Moore began to play.

_There's a song that's inside of my soul,_

_It's the one that I've tried,_

_To write over and over again._

It got quiet again before Batgirl whispered, "I'm sorry."

"Hey," Robin said gently, taking her hand. "I'm happy for you. I am. I hope this guy treats you right, because he's chosen a great girl."

Batgirl looked up at him, smiling. "Don't suppose I can have a final dance with you?"

Robin smirked. "I think I can allow it Mrs. Bard," he said teasingly, and she wacked him.

~0~0~0~

Starfire flew ever so carefully as she balanced a colossal cake in her arms. She drifted over various buildings and stores, whipping her head back so the air wouldn't stray in front of her eyes. She could see the small outline of the Tower several hundred yards away and she grew more excited at the thought of her friends marveling over the glorious cake.

As she drew nearer and nearer to the giant T she recognized that the song "Only Hope," by Mandy Moore was playing.

_I'm awake in the infinite cold,_

_But you sing to me,_

_Over and over and over again._

She had only heard it a few times but she loved the rhythm of it. It was then that she began to notice two figures on the roof spinning in neat little circles. She paused mid-flight and cocked her head to the side, straining her neck slightly so she could get a better look.

_So I lay my head back down,_

_And I lift my hands and pray,_

_To be only yours I pray,_

The figures were dancing and were quite close to each other. They were around the same height and they were both clad in long flowing capes. It was then that Starfire understood that it was Robin and Batgirl.

_To be only yours,_

_I know now you're my only hope._

She fell out of the air.

Her screams echoed through the night sky as she fell, hundreds and hundreds of feet. The cake slipped from her arms and fell alongside her. She twisted frantically in the air, trying to flip herself around or at least find something to grab onto. When she realized her attempts were useless she closed her eyes and relaxed her joints, praying that the impact of the pavement wouldn't hurt too much.

Starfire let out a grunt as something collided into her, and she rolled as her back grazed lightly against a nearby roof. She lay there for a few moments, trying to register what had just happened as well as waiting for the world to stop spinning.

As she came to, she looked into the blank mask of Red X. His face was emotionless and so was hers. Starfire heard a small splat several feet below her and she glanced down at the squashed remains of the celebratory cake. She stared at it, not really sure what to think.

She felt Red X grasp her face gently, something she had not expected him to do, and was helpless as he turned her face towards his. She was still too much in shock to register that he had slid his mask up so his lips were exposed. His skin was fair, but not as light as Robin's. She was about to ask what he was doing but she found that she couldn't form words as his mouth pressed against hers.

She let out a small gasp and her mind went blank for only one moment before she pushed him away. Wiping her mouth she stared into space again as he pulled down his mask and murmured a "sorry," although she doubted that he meant it.

It was all too much. Meeting Red X, spending time with him, Robin ignoring her, Robin yelling at her, refusing to dance with her, and then dancing with someone else, and now kissing Red X. Even if she had discovered that she had just learned Russian, it didn't matter. She had never hated herself more than she had then.

She burst into tears.

Red X shifted uncomfortably. "Uh…ok. Not really the reaction I was expecting…"

"No," Starfire choked out, rubbing the tears from her eyes angrily. "It is not you. It is me."

"Now where have I heard that before?" he mused.

"You were right Red X. I do have the feelings for Robin. And now I am most confused on where we stand." Her voice faltered slightly.

"Huh?" Red X asked. "What do you mean?" he then peered past her and his eyes focused on the roof. "Oh…what a

dick."

"Yes I suppose he can be 'the dick' but it is my fault for getting my hopes far too high. Thank you for rescuing me," she added, getting up and preparing to jump off the roof.

"Wait," his voice stopped her, although she couldn't imagine why. "I think I can help."

"I do not-"

"I'm not doing this for you," he continued. "This is going to benefit me. But I might just be able to win you the Boy Wonder in the process." And before she could argue further he vanished, leaving her alone to listen to the end of one of her favorite songs.

_I know now,_

_You're my only hope._

~0~0~0~

**Author's Note: **_It has just occurred to me that the name "Barbara Bard" is really bad…lolz. _


	7. Improvising

"I am not sure if I am comfortable with this."

"Trust me, I'm an expert. I'll ease you into it."

"Where must I undress?"

"It doesn't matter, just hurry, before someone sees."

"You will go slow?"

"As slow as you want me to, cutie."

Starfire tapped her index fingers together. "I am still unsure. Theft is wrong and I feel as though I will be hurting more than helping."

Red X sighed. "Look, this is Wayne tech we're stealing, it's pretty advanced stuff. This tracker can pick up Plasmus's clone in no time. Think of how impressed the Boy Wonder will be."

She narrowed her eyes suspiciously at him as he handed her a black jumpsuit. It wasn't as high-tech as the Red X costume of course; it was nothing more than black cloth as a disguise. "What will you want in return?"

"Just helping out an old friend. I don't want any reward," he replied innocently. However when Starfire stared back at him blankly he smirked. "How about a kiss? A real one this time."

"Do not make me dismember you," she threatened, and he winced.

"All I ask is that I get to keep the tracker once you're done with it. A small price to pay if you think about it."

Starfire bit her lip. This was so wrong, even if she was doing it to help the city. However what if the police recognized her? What if Robin found out? Oh, the possibilities were so overwhelming.

However as she thought back to how miserable she felt just a few nights ago when the party had taken place, she knew she had to do this. It was the only way to keep her from going crazy. Besides, it might actually be some fun. Sure, she loved being a Titan, but with the pressure of being under Robin's strict hand-a hand that was so much like the Dark Knight himself-it could get a little frustrating to say the least. She felt like one of those rebellious teenagers she had seen on the sitcoms.

"Alright, one moment please," she told him finally as she flew to a shadowed area where she could strip down and hide her Titan uniform. As she slid on her new attire she couldn't help thinking of it as a second skin. It felt so unnatural and wrong and guilt immediately swept over her. But she had to remind herself that she was doing this for the greater good.

"What must we accomplish first?" she asked him after she had changed.

"_First,_ we need to get in," Red X pointed out, crouching down and signaling for her to do the same. He peered in through a glass window and focused on a point inside before wrapping an arm around her waist and teleporting.

Once inside Starfire pushed away from him and followed him like a shadow from room to room, sometimes teleporting, sometimes flying through. Red X disarmed any cameras or security traps he saw along the way, until they stopped at the room that held the tracker. Starfire went to barge in, but he stopped her.

"Not yet," he murmured into her ear. He stepped back and threw a bomb into the room, enveloping the entire space in smoke. When the gases cleared red lines of security were visible. If Starfire had walked through she would have set off every alarm within the building.

She turned to him sheepishly. "I believe the correct term is…'my bad.'"

Red X glanced up at the area above the tracker. There was a small clear space, and then there were several other red lines before the actual merchandise came into view.

"I think I can teleport just above the tracker without touching those lasers. I need you to teleport with me and lower me into that area so I can grab it and get the hell out of here."

Starfire nodded. "Yes, I can do that."

"Good." He linked his arm around her and then pressed his belt so they vanished, only to reappear a moment later, this time directly above the tracker. Starfire grunted as she held Red X securely above the security lines and began to gently lower him towards the tracker. He stretched his arm out, weaving the appendage between the criss-crossings of the lasers. Starfire watched his progress with baited breath. He was so close. Just a little bit further and-

"Freeze!"

The sudden outburst startled her, causing her to jerk and resulting in knocking Red X into one of the lines. She heard him swore as all the alarms in the building began to go off. He dropped from her grip immediately and grabbed the tracker before tossing several smoke bombs at the line of security guards. As they began to cough he gestured wildly to her.

"Fly me up to that top window and we can get out of here," he said hardly, gripping the tracker tightly. She nodded, and ignoring the lump of guilt in her throat, she encircled his waist with her strong arms and hoisted him up before sailing up into the air.

She gasped as she heard the distinct noises of gunfire, and she heard her companion cry out in pain. "Red X?" she asked frantically, "are you-"

"Keep going!" he snapped, then let out of string of curses. She increased the speed of her flight, cringing when she felt the wind of a bullet that flew close to her ear. Red X craned his neck upwards and grunted before reaching for his belt.

~0~0~0~

Unsure of where else to bring him, Starfire landed a short distance away from where they originally were, however they were very much concealed in the dark alleyway where they _did _finally land.

She placed him down gently and he groaned, throwing the tracker aside for the time being. His hand immediately went to his right calf, and Starfire's eyes widened at the dark red spot that was rapidly growing. She immediately perked up however when she realized that she still had some of the bandages Red X had given her to help Robin when he was injured.

"I will need for you to undress," she told him in what she hoped to be a stern tone of voice. However he merely scoffed and turned away from her, over onto his left side.

"I'm fine. Just use the tracker then go."

"I will not just leave you here. I have a means of healing you, if only for right now. Now undress. I am not joking," she all but snapped at him. When he did not move she began fumbling around his waist, searching for some sort of zipper.

He stared at her blankly. "What the are you doing, cutie?" he said tiredly.

"I am trying to undress you," she explained, her eyes narrowed in frustration when she could not figure out how to take off his paints. She sat back and stared at him in disbelief as he began chuckling. "What in the name of _X'hal _is so amusing?" she asked him bitterly.

He turned over again so his back was pressed against the wall of a brick building. "Nothing cutie, I just never thought you would be so eager to see me with my clothes off."

She stuttered, her face growing red. She made several attempts to retort with something clever, and when she couldn't think of anything, she opted to just cross her arms and look pissed off instead.

Red X sighed, shaking his head at her. "It's all one piece. The zipper is at the back of the neck."

Starfire raised her eyebrows at him before sighing; the sound was long and lingering in her throat. She then reached around his neck and fumbled a bit with the zipper until she finally located it and pulled it down. She removed his right leg as gently as she could, however she placed the uniform over the other parts of his body, to which he chuckled mockingly at that.

She examined the wound and breathed out a sigh of relief. It wasn't as bad as it looked, that was for sure. She couldn't tell if the bullet was still in his calf or not, but she decided to wrap it up anyway, just so she could quell the bleeding. Red X was silent as she worked. He played with the tracker to keep himself occupied, wincing occasionally.

As soon as she had wrapped him up, she just as cautiously slid his leg back in and zipped the uniform back up.

"There," she said finally, wiping a few beads of sweat from her forehead. "It is complete."

"Thanks, Starfire."

She looked up at him in surprise and he returned her gaze. They stared like that for several moments until the sound of her communicator made them both jump. She smiled at him apologetically even if it was a tad strained, before she flew several feet away to answer the message.

Robin's face stared back at her. "Starfire where are you?" he snapped. "Someone just broke into one of the Wayne industries to steal a piece of equipment and you were nowhere to be seen!"

Her voice trembled from nervousness. "My apologies, Robin. I-I w-was-" she stumbled to think of an excuse when she felt a pebble bounce off her ankle. She turned around, making sure to keep Red X out of sight from Robin as she looked at him quizzically.

He held up the tracker and was pointing to it urgently. It took her a few moments to realize what he was trying to tell her, but suddenly she understood as if a giant light up bulb had suddenly glowed above her head.

"I have located Plasmus," she told him confidently.

~0~0~0~

"How did you find him?"

"I…uh…saw him slink into the depths of the sewer and he disappeared from my sight," she lied, her eyes darting frantically around.

The team was currently patrolling the deepest part of the sewers, nearing the very center of the city's waste system. So naturally, it reeked.

"Well did it _have _to be in the _sewer?!_" Beast Boy complained, pinching his nose. "It's even nastier than I remember!"

"Keep your mouth shut green bean! You'll waste all the air supply!" Cyborg ranted.

"Not to mention all those fumes will go to your head. Think of the damage that will be done," Raven droned sarcastically while Beast Boy glared back.

The team travelled on a little more before the path split into three different parts. Starfire, who was in the lead stopped short, biting her lip nervously. She racked her brain for any information on Plasmus' whereabouts that she had seen from Red X's tracker. The said criminal was probably long gone by now.

"Um…I believe it is this way?" she pointed questioningly to the right. "O-or maybe it is this way?" she pointed to the opposite path. She heard Robin grunt in frustration behind her and her stomachs flipped in despair.

"Beast Boy, see if you can sniff out his scent," he ordered.

However the changeling just shrugged. "I already tried that. The smell of sewer is too strong."

Robin swore under his breath, and then dug in his pockets for the sample of the clone Plasmus. He handed the slide to Cyborg. "Scan this. Maybe it'll help."

Cyborg took the sample and scanned it with his arm console. He paused for a few moments afterwards before pointing to the left path. "This way."

They set off again, only running into the same problem twice more before coming to a dead end. Raven passed through the metal only to return a moment later shaking her head in confusion.

"I don't understand," Cyborg said, looking at his arm console curiously. "This thing's always spot on."

Suddenly there was a giant thud behind them, causing them to whip around in a battle stance. Starfire let out a gasp despite herself, but thankfully everyone else seemed equally shocked.

"Hey kids," Red X greeted with a mock wave. "Seems to me like you need some new equipment." He pulled out the tracker, and gave it a little wave before placing it in his belt.

"That's the Wayne tech that was stolen this afternoon," Raven spoke.

"Titans go!" Robin shouted gesturing them to attack.

As Starfire joined her friends she couldn't help but wonder what Red X was planning. What could he possibly gain by showing up now? Was his ego that big? Or was he maybe trying to help them in their search for Plasmus?

Starfire felt a warm feeling surge through her at that thought. If he was doing that maybe he had really changed.

Red X took off flying down the tunnel, Robin trailing the closest behind him. The crook was much slower than he normally was but that was due to his latest injury. Starfire picked up her speed sending a small starbolt after him, which could have been assumed to be an attack on Red X, however Robin had to dodge it narrowly, tripping him up, which was what she had been intending.

"Star, watch it!" Robin snapped as he began to run again.

"My apologies," she said modestly, flying even faster. She trailed right behind Red X as he rounded a corner, then stopped in a big clearing of dirty water that went up to his knees. Starfire could tell he led them there on purpose. This passage had several different tunnels branching off of it; one of them had to lead to Plasmus.

"What's this guy's plan anyway?" Beast Boy asked breathlessly from behind her, wiping off beads of sweat from his forehead as he did so. "It's not like he's going anywhere anytime soon."

"Then that means this battle's going to be a whole lot easier!" Cyborg boomed charging the crook who flipped neatly out of the way.

"Think again," he replied shooting out a sticky x from the palm of his hand, managing to trap Cyborg as well as Beast Boy.

"Dude, get your ro-_butt_ outta my face," the green Titan complained and then realized the pun. "Ha! Get it?"

"Man, shut up."

"Azarath Metrion Zinthos!" Raven cried, lifting Red X up in the air with her black energy. He reached for his belt however and teleported right behind the empath, tripping her up and managing to tape her mouth closed in the process. She grunted angrily, her eyes glowing white.

Starfire flew at him, her hands glowing and shrieked in surprise when he spun her around and pinned her against a filthy sewer wall, smirking at her bewildered expression. She cocked her head to the side, wondering what his angle was, but he put a gloved finger to where his lips were located before placing another x on the skin of her stomach.

He tried to bound away as a series of shocks caused her to convulse but she grabbed onto his cape, forcing him backwards. Robin's bird-a-rang sliced through the air towards him but he ducked instinctively. Starfire released the cape and removed the x on her belly as Robin and Red X danced around each other.

Red X was clearly cradling his left leg and Robin seemed to sense this weakness. However before he could do something to cause the criminal severe pain, Starfire flew at him again, this time colliding with him at full force and causing them both to topple into the deeper part of the water.

**Author's Note:** _Oh boy, things are getting heavy! What is Red X planning? What is Starfire planning? Who is cloning Plasmus? You'll probably find out in the next chapter. Then again…maybe not. ;) _


	8. Shattered

**Author's Note: **_I just want to apologize for the inconsistent updating. I probably won't update during the school days unless it's Friday. I'll try to do my best though. _

_Also I updated early this week because today is my birthday! I guess I was just feeling happy! So I hope you all like it!_

~0~0~0~

Starfire squirmed beneath the murky waters, her face scrunched up and her hands grasping for the body somewhere beneath her. She tried to swim forward, where she knew the sewer wall was, however she detected a slight spin in the water ahead of her. Before she could identify what it was, two strong hands grasped her wrists and she panicked as she felt her breath running out. The hands held strong like they wanted her to stop thrashing but she couldn't help it. It was instinct. She relaxed a few moments later when the breath flew out of her in a whoosh of bubbles. Her brain became slightly fuzzy and she could barely register the feeling of something being placed into her hands.

Suddenly the body underneath her disappeared and she could feel the cement floor of the sewer beneath her. Then she was being lifted up, up, and to the surface by two strong arms.

She felt the cool air on her face as she broke the surface and then she began to move of her own accord. She heard shouting but she couldn't make out what anybody was saying, her brain was still fuzzy. Her eyeballs twitched behind her eyelids and her chest throbbed painfully.

Starfire could feel the cold sewer floor again except this time she wasn't surrounded by water. Someone began beating her and the pain in her chest grew three times as strong. Why was she being punished? Had she done something wrong?

Fortunately, the pain stopped after a while and instead she felt the soft feeling of lips against hers. Her chest heaved and the unpleasant feeling returned but she ignored it as she peeked lazily through her eyelashes.

The figure above her began to beat her again. The colors all blurred together but she could tell it was male. She closed her eyes hoping the horrible burning in her chest would go away. She opened her eyes ever so slightly as the figure began to press his lips to hers again. As he slowly came into view her heart seemed to stop.

_Robin! Robin was kissing her!_

She was so overjoyed that she completely forgot about the pain for a moment until it grew again. She wanted to cry. Was she dying? Is this what it was like to die? Something was building in her chest, growing stronger and more painful by the second.

She sat up quickly and coughed up an alarming amount of water, gagging and spitting. She felt extremely dizzy, but at least the pain in her chest was gone.

As the shapes in her mind began to become clearer she focused on Robin who was hunched over and breathing heavily but with a somewhat relieved look on his face. Several feet behind him stood the other Titans with looks of bewilderment and concern.

She then focused on the object in her hands and was not surprised at all to see that it was the tracker. Red X had wanted to calm her thrashing to give it to her. It was her own fault for splashing so much.

"That bastard tried to drown you," Robin breathed angrily, his nostrils flaring when he had somewhat regained his breath. "You could have been killed."

She shook her head immediately. She tried to speak and when she did she found that it came out hoarse. "N-no he tried to escape. I managed to steal this off of him, but I must have hit my head in the process." Starfire handed him the tracker, avoiding his gaze.

Robin watched her suspiciously for a moment until his gaze melted into one of caring. He looked down at the tracker, then back at her. He sighed, rubbing a hand over his face before pressing some buttons on the device and pinpointing Plasmus's location.

"We found him. He's about half a mile that way." He pointed behind him.

"What about X?" Cyborg inquired.

"He's long gone now, it doesn't matter."

The other Titans looked at each other in surprise. It wasn't like their leader to just give up on something. Raven spoke up wisely after a few beats of silence.

"What about Starfire? She doesn't seem like she's in any state to peruse him."

"I am fine friends," Starfire piped in, rising shakily to her feet. She tried not to make her knees wobble so much but the fact was she couldn't even lift off the ground for a moment.

Robin sighed again. "Raven why don't you head back to the Tower with Star? We'll follow this lead and see if we can detain Plasmus. We'll call you if we need back up."

Raven nodded before drifting towards Starfire who stared back at her glumly. Raven surveyed her with a curious expression as the Tamaranian's mixed feelings flew through her. However her face regained its composure as she placed her hand on her friend's shoulder and prepared to teleport.

_ "Azarath Metrion Zinthos."_

~0~0~0~

Starfire took a shower immediately after she arrived at the Tower. She desperately wanted to get rid of the disgusting feeling as well as the scent of the sewer water. As she cleansed herself she prayed to _X'hal _that the boys were successful in pursuing Plasmas. She even said a few words toward the safety of Red X, wherever he was.

She dried herself with a towel a few moments later and dressed in her uniform. Robin had said that he may need back up and she was planning to aid him if necessary despite her current condition. She nearly gagged at the thought of all that water inside her nine stomachs. She became lightheaded just imagining it again, so she speed walked back to her room to sit on her bed. She rubbed her temples and closed her eyes, trying to quell the dizziness that had built up in her head.

Starfire tried to think of other things instead but found herself thinking about what had happened while she was under the water with Red X. She had tried to swim forward but he had stopped her-perhaps in a harsh way-but he had stopped her nonetheless. Was that because he had wanted to give her the tracker, or was it for a different reason?

She remembered how she had felt a turn in the water, as if the current was changing. The only thing she could think of that would cause such a thing would be a vent. But that didn't make much sense at all.

"You're still confused I take it."

Starfire gasped at the sound of Raven's voice. The empath stared back at her expressionless, however a flicker of sympathy crossed her eyes at the Tamaranian's startled reaction. "Sorry, I should have announced myself."

Starfire shook her head. "No, it is fine. I have just been doing some of the deep thinking."

"About…?" Raven inquired hesitantly sitting on the bed beside the troubled alien.

Starfire sighed. She knew that Raven would be able to read her emotions as clear as if they were written in a book in front of her. She wished she could tell the empath what she was feeling, and what she had been up to the past several days but she knew that that was impossible. The team would be hurt, and so would Red X.

So she lied. Again.

"About Plasmus and his whereabouts. It confuses me greatly."

Raven nodded. "I thought I sensed confusion."

Starfire merely gave her a shaky smile in response. "Yes…well, I am sure Robin has told you all about the cloning of Plasmus," she paused so Raven could nod before continuing. "A-and I suppose with the added stress of the reappearance of Red X…it is all so…so…"

"You don't have to say anymore," Raven replied with a gentleness that surprised even Starfire. As they made eye contact, the Tamaranian believed that the Goth Titan was staring into her soul. Could she tell that she was lying? Or worse, could she tell that Starfire wasn't sharing everything she knew?

"I-I suppose I should get some rest," she blurted, wiping a few beads of perspiration off of her forehead. "My head is still feeling that of the lightness."

Raven stared at her for a moment longer before nodding. "All right. Let me know if you need anything." And then she was gone.

Starfire lay on her back and shut her eyes, opting to neither use the pillows or to prop herself in her usual way before sleeping. She simply lay on the round mattress and drifted off.

However she woke up not long after as she heard the unmistakable sounds of Beast Boy complaining. So the boys were back, and by the sounds of their sloshing, they apparently had faced Plasmus, and lost.

"Man, he just disappeared!" Cyborg boomed, and Starfire imagined him throwing his arms up in the air in disbelief. "Whoever reprogrammed this thing sure knew what he was doing."

"He's not even stealing anything!" Beast Boy added. "He just stays in the sewers, spewing his slime everywhere! It is naaaaa_stee_!"

Raven said something in reply that Starfire couldn't quite catch, something about obnoxious changelings. Before Beast Boy could fire back with some poorly thought out diss, Robin spoke up.

"How's Starfire?"

Said alien felt her cheeks warm up at his concern. It was just like Robin to care about her well-being, even when something much more important was going on. Raven answered him and she heard the Boy Wonder's footsteps approaching and she sat up slowly so her head wouldn't rush to comb out any snarls that might have been in her hair with her fingers.

There was a soft knock at her door. "Hey Star? Are you awake?"

"I am friend Robin, and my condition has greatly improved."

"That's good." He sounded greatly relieved. He paused and Starfire could tell he was debating something with himself. "Is it okay if I come in?"

"Of course," she answered a little too quickly.

The door opened a moment later to reveal Robin in all his glory, drenched in reddish-purple glop. He gave her a small smile but stayed where he was. "I…don't want to get your room all messy."

"It is the o and the k, Robin," she assured him. "I do not mind."

Robin hesitantly stepped into her room and walked towards her until he was only a few feet apart from her.

"So…you have not captured Plasmus then?" she asked, a little glumly, for she already knew the answer.

Robin sighed. "No. It seems like he's getting stronger. He melted straight through a sewer pipe to escape, and then sealed it back up. By then he was too far away to track, and we were in no condition to fight."

"I apologize," she responded looking at the ground.

He stared back at her in shock. "Star, you have nothing to be sorry about. You don't know how worried we all were back there. You don't know how worried _I _was."

She glanced up at him curiously. "So…you kissed me out of concern for me?"

Robin made a strange noise as if all the oxygen had been sucked out of the room. "W-what?"

"You made lip contact with me. Several times in fact," she clarified. "I wish to know if it was merely out of concern for me."

He made a few more awkward noises, and then seemed to regain his voice. "…It's called CPR. You give it to someone who isn't breathing…I was…saving your life."

Starfire stared at him wide eyed. "So you were not hitting me then? You were giving me the air?"

"Um, yeah…you could say that."

Starfire beamed and flew over to him, giving him a bone crushing hug, ignoring the slime that rubbed off on her. "I thank you for saving my life Robin," she murmured into the crook of his neck, then pecked it softly.

He was having trouble breathing again, so she loosened her grip, although that didn't seem to help. He patted her back uneasily then gently pulled away from her, tugging his collar, with one hand as he did so.

"Uh…I should really get cleaned up," he chuckled uncomfortably. "Do you uh…do you need…is there anything I can get you?"

"No not at the moment," she told him, stepping back and giving a somewhat embarrassed smile. "You may shower and clean any remainder of Plasmus off of your being."

He returned the smile but the blush was evident on his face. "Yeah…uh, I'll get on that," he said, then left soon afterwards.

Starfire took the towel she had used to dry herself and used it to wipe the goo off her body that she had accumulated from hugging Robin. She nearly jumped out of her skin because the moment she dropped her towel a hand covered her mouth.

She relaxed instantly after she realized who it was. She turned around and gave Red X a small smile, her heartbeat slowly returning back to normal.

"Hey," he said, and she thought she saw him smiling.

"Greetings," she returned warmly, then frowned. "Are you injured? How was your escape? Did you run into Robin again? How-"

"Wow, easy there. I wasn't really expecting you'd be this eager to see me," he admitted. "Thought you would hold a grudge against me for almost drowning you."

"But it was an accident," she pointed out. "And you gave me the tracker. That was the reason you held me there correct?"

"Well yeah," he said shrugging, "also to keep you from getting your head chopped off."

Starfire blinked in bewilderment. "Pardon?"

"There was a fan a few feet ahead of us. My guess is whoever created this Plasmus set up that trap, and probably has set up others throughout the entire system. Whoever this person is, they definitely don't want your little hero squad to come investigating."

Starfire stared at him in shock, unable to speak. "So you…have saved my life?"

Red X chuckled. "Well don't act so surprised. I don't do it often but I can play the hero pretty well when I want too."

"You are a hero, no matter what you believe. You are _my _hero."

He looked at her strangely. "Did you swallow too much sewer water?"

Starfire blushed deeply. "You have just been so kind to me when I have needed someone to talk to. You have aided me in finding Plasmus and impressing Robin, as well as saving my life on more than one occasion. However I still feel like I know nothing about you."

"Why don't we keep it that way for now?"

She sighed halfheartedly, for she had expected as much. She perked up a bit as she thought of something. "Perhaps I will tell you my true name, and then one day, when you are feeling ready, you shall share with me yours?"

Red X regarded her for several moments then sighed raggedly. "You strike a hard bargain…but fine. If that's what you want."

Starfire giggled excitedly and gave him a quick hug. The embrace was too fast for him to get a chance to wrap his own arms around her, something she had clearly intended to avoid. He snorted at this to which she beamed at him.

"It is Koriand'r," she told him.

"Huh," he replied, looking at her curiously.

She giggled again.

"You know," he continued after a few beats of pleasurable silence. "I think this means you owe me now."

Starfire raised her eyebrows. "What did you have planned in your mind?"

"How about a kiss? You still owe me that."

Her smile disappeared and a frown replaced it. "Um…"

"If you agree, I'll take off the mask," he tempted her.

She gasped. "Not just the lips! You are a true master of the mind!"

He laughed, something he hadn't done in what felt like forever. "Guilty."

She surveyed him with a disapproving frown, thinking over her options, but finally temptation caused her to give in. "Very well…" she said uncertainly, avoiding his gaze.

"Well don't get too excited."

She smirked, something she had picked up from him over time. She then grew more serious as she stepped closer to him so their chests were almost touching. Her fingers glided over to the flap under his chin, and she ever so slowly pulled his mask off.

She was shocked to found out how similar he and Robin looked. Red X had extremely dark brown hair with pale skin, although a few shades darker than Robin's. He was certainly very handsome. And he had not lied about the color of his eyes. They were indeed a beautiful and penetratingly deep grayish blue.

However they closed as she brought a golden hand to his cheek, the colors of their skin clashing. Starfire had never kissed a boy before. Sure she had had lip contact over a hundred times, but she had never kissed anyone. Not like she was about to.

Time seemed to stop as she leaned forward, closing her own beautiful eyes, and she almost jumped as their lips met. She kept her hand on his cheek and she felt him wrap his arms around her waist and bring her closer, but she didn't protest. She knew it would be over in a matter of seconds.

She had not, however expected how nice it would feel. His lips were surprisingly soft, and his mouth moved in a caring sort of way, although she doubted he felt anything deeper for her than a simple attraction. She briefly wondered if this was how kissing Robin would feel like. As she imagined it was Robin she was kissing, she began to get more into the kiss. She tried moving her lips and Red X quickly responded.

She had never felt so free, so loved, so-

A glass shattered against her rug.

The two broke apart immediately, Red X instantly putting on his mask again. Starfire stared in horror at Robin who mirrored her facial expression. He must have come back to give her a glass of water. A glass which now was in a million pieces on her carpet.

**Author's Note: **_Oh shit!_


	9. Working Alone

Starfire desperately looked back and forth between the two men in front of her, entirely at a loss for words. How could she even begin to explain this? She took note that Red X seemed just as uncomfortable as she did, but he made no move to fill the awkward silence that had fallen between the three. What frightened Starfire the most was how furious Robin looked.

His skin had gone even paler and his jaw was set at an odd angle, like he was having trouble keeping it in place. She wasn't completely sure but she thought she detected that his hands were shaking by his sides. He finally spoke up.

"What _the fuck _is going on here?" he snarled through gritted teeth.

Somehow Starfire regained her voice for a moment. "R-Robin I-I…"

"Is this why you weren't on patrol with us?" he demanded, referring to when she had been absent during the tracker incident.

Starfire cleared her throat. "Robin listen to me," she pleaded, but he wouldn't have any of it.

"You're a traitor Starfire," he spat before whipping around and leaving the room. Starfire looked at Red X desperately for only a second before she sprinted out of the room, trying to catch up with Robin. She had to explain to him what was really going on. She had to let him know her true motives for everything that had recently happened.

But _man_ was he a fast walker! She finally dove for his hand and gripped it tightly, sitting on the ground so her weight would halt him. He turned around violently and she flinched when she saw a vein throbbing dangerously in his temple.

"Get off of-"

"No," she interrupted sharply. "You have not given me the chance to explain. When I am finished and you wish not to ever be associated with me again I understand, but at least allow me the opportunity to explain myself." Her voice trembled at the thought of him not wanting to be near her anymore.

"Why should you get to explain yourself?! You don't deserve an explanation. Red X-he…I-…_you-"_

"Red X has been helping me track Plasmus. He has helped us several times in the past and just recently he has saved your life," she nearly yelled, exasperated.

"What are you talking about?" he asked angrily.

Starfire sighed. "When you were injured during our battle with Plasmus several days prior, you were bleeding immensely from the head. I was so frightened that I…that _we_ would lose you. But then there were the bandages and I realized that Red X had chosen to assist us. I have talked to him, and although he is devious, I believe there is some good inside him."

He snorted. "Then why did he almost drown you?"

She shook her head. "You do not understand. He saved my life also. There was a trap under the water. I could feel its pull. He held me in place and then handed me the tracker so we could locate Plasmus. Not to do the mentioning that he also saved me from falling to my death."

Robin sobered at that. "B-but…wait when? You've always been an excellent flyer, unless your emotions have gotten in the way."

"I suppose you could say that was the case," she murmured. He raised his eyebrows out her and she sighed. "I glimpsed you and the Batgirl engaging in dance and I felt hurt that you would agree to her offer, and not to mine."

Robin's face was stoic. "Star…she's getting married. I didn't think it would be…well actually I guess I just didn't think."

Starfire blushed furiously at this. Batgirl was getting married? That was wonderful! However that only made her feel worse about herself. How could she be so emotionally foolish? Tears pricked her eyes and she sniffed. "I have betrayed you."

Robin knelt down to her level although he did so rather stiffly. "No I was wrong about that too. And…if you trust Red X …then so do I." He physically tensed. "I just thought you would know better than to become romantically involved with criminals," he spat out.

Starfire flinched. "We are not though! He has done the flirting and I have done the resisting. He has told me much about himself and I have told him many things as well. I was going to learn his true name and he said he would tell me if I bestowed him with a kiss."

Robin snorted again skeptically, and the expression on his face was one of pure anger, and maybe...hurt? "_That_ was _not _a kiss. And I highly doubt you're naïve enough to believe that it was."

Now _that_ hurt. "It got out of the hand as you might say," she retorted bitterly. "However I did not enjoy it if that is what you are implying." That was not entirely true, but it was better to feed into it a little bit considering the circumstances.

"Did he pressure you into it?" Robin asked seriously, his face growing dark.

"No!" she blurted. "I-I merely did not see the harm if I did not feel that way about him. I knew it would be over soon if I just imagined it was your-" she covered her mouth.

Robin pulled away from her. "What?"

Her face went beet red. "I-I m-meant that if it was y-…uh if it was someone similar to you-…oh, _X'hal." _She sprinted down the hallway unable to look at him any longer.

She was almost glad when she returned to her room to find Red X had disappeared, for she could not bear it if he had seen her fall onto her bed and dissolve into tears.

~0~0~0~

The sky was dark when she finally left her room. She had wanted to make sure no one else would be awake when she left. The only way her situation could get worse is if one of the others caught her stealing the tracker.

Why was she doing this? Well the fact was, Starfire was tired of having to be saved, having to make excuses, and having to rearrange plans because they had gone astray. She wanted to end this mission with Plasmus, because she didn't think she could hold herself together for much longer.

However stealing the tracker proved to be a much harder task because it wasn't located in the evidence room like she had believed it to be. She forced herself not to groan in exasperation when she realized it must be in Robin's room. Of course.

She tapped in the code to his room and the door slid open silently. She immediately took to the air to avoid the risk of stepping on a creaky floorboard. She carefully let a faint glow radiate from her hand so she didn't bump into anything. A small orb of green shone throughout the room however it didn't illuminate the far corners.

Starfire could make out Robin's form slouched over his desk again, his steady breathing indicating that he was asleep. She let out a breath of relief; that was a good piece of luck she had.

However she almost swore angrily when she realized the tracker was lying just inches from his forearm. Why must everything have to be so complicated?

Being extra careful as she flew over the sleeping Boy Wonder, she made the glow in her left hand less intense so the bright light would not wake him. Then with her other hand, she extended it outwards ever so slowly. Her golden fingers encircled the small, gray, device and once she had it securely in her palm and floated back releasing a breath she hadn't realized she had been holding.

As Starfire turned around her foot hit the leg of the desk lightly, making Robin jump in his sleep and then stir slightly.

_Gorfolk,_ she swore in her mind. She tensed and did not move a muscle, her eyes growing wide when Robin lifted his head a little bit.

He must have recognized the green glow in the room because even when she extinguished it completely he still murmured, "Starfire?"

She panicked. So she said the first that came to her mind. "Uh, greetings."

"W-what are you doing?"

"Um…I am not here as you may believe," she said unsurely, feeling like she wanted to bang her head against the wall. "You are dreaming…I suggest you return to sleep."

She really hated herself sometimes.

Robin shifted his position and for a moment Starfire feared that he would get up to investigate. However he must have been too fatigued for he simply turned to lay his head at a different angle.

Starfire sighed for what seemed like the millionth time that day. She was thankful that Robin had not awakened fully for she was positive that she could face him so soon after the incident. In fact she wasn't even sure if she could ever have a normal conversation with him ever again. It didn't matter for the moment. She had to focus on finding Plasmus.

Her hand found the door code and she distractedly typed it in before flying briskly down the hallway, tracker in hand. She flew up the stairs leading to the roof and out into the night air, reveling in the feeling of the wind in her hair. It was too bad she would be spending most of this wonderful night in the sewers.

~0~0~0~

It was several hours before Starfire even came close to getting a trace of Plasmus. At times she would get slight signatures of his goo that would disappear instantly and then return in the totally opposite direction. It was all very frustrating.

Not to mention she probably reeked of the sewer and her hair was frizzing up. To make things worse she was so disoriented that her flight was beginning to suffer, so the tips of her boots were beginning to get drenched. The last thing she needed was to drown alone in the sewers.

Just when she was about to give up altogether she heard a deep gurgling sound that had to be none other than Plasmus himself…or his clone at least.

Filled with renewed strength, Starfire flew forward determinedly, her eyes narrowed and her fists balled up and glowing. She turned one more corner and then discovered that the gelatinous monster was spreading himself along one side of the sewer wall, filling any cracks with his sickening goo. Starfire wasn't sure what he was up to, but she didn't really want to find out.

"Halt, you foul smelling blemish!" she cried confidently, her eyes taking on an eerie glow. Plasmus lifted his head up, clearly unimpressed by the floating girl before him. He sized himself up and then spit out a metal disc at her; it was clearly something he had consumed earlier.

The Tamaranian was thrown off guard, as she had expected something resembling slush to be thrown at her instead. She caught the disk as if she would a Frisbee and stuffed it in her belt along with the tracker so she could inspect it later.

She then drew back and let out a whoosh of starbolts, several of them hitting Plasmus directly and breaking off his sloppy appendages. He let out a roar of outrage which seemed to shake the sewer itself and drew backwards again, except instead of attacking, he seemed to be drawing away.

"Oh no you _do not!_" she shouted, shooting after him and blasting him full on with her eye beams.

He growled in response and part of his body broke off from his being and began to solidify to some extent. It took Starfire a minute to realize that he had created another Plasmus. One was going to do battle with her, while the other slithered away.

Wasting no time in attacking, she soared right through the creature, ignoring the unpleasant feeling around her and making sure to push out tremendous amounts of energy in her hands. She felt his oozing form convulse and then burn away from her, either sinking into the ground or the water or trying to join the Plasmus that was slinking away. Starfire made sure to blast any parts of him that were on the ground, watching in satisfaction as it bubbled beneath her intense heat.

She darted after his now significantly smaller version, blasting starbolts whenever she could. It wasn't long before the disgusting creature sank into the shallow waters, seemingly defeated.

_That is it? _She thought, surprised. _Why did we have so much trouble detaining him before?_

As if in answer, Plasmus suddenly burst up from the waters, growling menacingly. Starfire prepared herself to fight again, when he swung at her and knocked her into the opposite sewer wall.

Only temporarily stunned, the Tamaranian held her head and watched Plasmus attach himself to the sewer wall above them, and slink through a small crack until he was gone. Alarmed that he was causing havoc in the city above, she clawed her way out of the sewer, making a mental note to repair the damage later.

"Where are you?" she muttered, scanning the mostly quiet city, the sun only just starting to peak up. After several moments she lowered her fighting stance and prepared to take out the tracker again when she was suddenly flung into the side of a building, making an indent. She fell to the ground groaning.

Plasmus seemed to snicker and then turned his attention to a nearby gas tank. He swallowed the thing whole and then grew twice in size, his eyes multiplying and shining with green pus.

Starfire gagged. Plasmus spat out a jumble of words that didn't sound anything remotely close to English, but Starfire assumed that he was threatening her.

"Um…I do not know how to respond to that," she admitted standing up. "Perhaps like this!" She swung around a telephone pole and knocked him backwards with her feet on impact, her legs getting stuck in the process. He shot her back out and she slammed into a car, the alarm going off even if the whole roof was demolished.

She stood up shakily this time, cracking her back to rid her spine of the intense pain, dulling it slightly. Her breathing was becoming more ragged and she wasn't sure how long she could keep this up. Plasmus had indeed gotten much more powerful.

She eyed the disc that he had shot out at her, which was still covered in sludge. As Plasmus advanced towards her again she frantically wiped it away, catching sight of an emblem, however it was still too tough to make out.

Starfire gasped as Plasmus suddenly appeared before her, his speed seeming to have increased as well as his strength, not to mention that he moved like a solid now rather than a liquid.

An unmistakable giant x flung through the air and stapled the monster to the ground several feet away from the Tamaranian. Starfire looked up to find Red X hanging over her on a grappling hook, smirking as always.

"Thought you might need a hand," he told her cheekily.

Upon seeing his face Starfire thought she would be grateful, but instead she felt pained. "I do not need your assistance," she replied, sharper than she had intended.

Instead of being offended, Red X jumped down beside her shrugging. "Suit yourself, although you might want to pay attention," he advised, jerking his chin up as Plasmus absorbed the x that held him in place.

Starfire stuttered. What was she thinking? Of course she needed his help! She was probably covered in bruises from head to toe, and she hadn't even come close to actually defeating him, let alone finding out who created him.

Red X seemed to read her thoughts because he said, "I'll keep him busy," and he bounded off.

Starfire finished clearing away the gunk on the disc as she kept her peripheral vision on Red X. She took to the air several feet high when a stray piece of gunk almost hit her in the face. She scratched at a particularly hard part on the disc and could just start to make out what she thought was a-

"Starfire!"

Red X's voice alarmed her and she glanced up but didn't react in time as a big ball of solid gunk hit her in the stomach and she began to fall. Her bipolar flying skills were really convenient sometimes.

She wasn't really surprised when a pair of solid arms caught her; however she was taken aback by who the pair belonged to.

"Star? You okay?" Robin asked her, and she was glad it was still somewhat dark for her face was glowing red. She instantly got down from his arms and held up the disc. Instead of answering his question, she answered one that had been plaguing them for the past several days.

"Plasmus's creator is Gizmo."


	10. Written in Red

**Author's Note: **_Thanks so much for all of the reviews last chapter! They really meant a lot! I have to admit that was probably my favorite chapter to write, just because I love awkward jealousy tension. _

_ Anyways, some of you have noticed how in this story I have portrayed Robin more on the…"dick" side-to put it lightly. This is because although Robin may seem friendly and caring most of the time, sometimes the whole "I'm the protégé of the Dark Knight" kind of takes over him, which suffocates everyone else around him. That's kind of what I was going for, and that's also what I meant when I said in the summer that Red X was Starfire's escape. _

_ But I digress; hope you enjoy this chapter!_

~0~0~0~

"Azarath Metrion Zinthos!" Raven shouted, and slices of black energy flew toward the thrashing Plasmus clone, cutting off his arms and electing a murderous roar from the repulsive creature. Before it had time to regrow its arms a blast of sonic energy hit him in the side of the face, followed by a charging rhino only seconds after. Finally an electric disc was delivered via Robin and made its mark deep within the back of Plasmus's head. The creature let out a scream before his body was splattered all over the street.

"Titans this way!" Robin ordered leaping over on the other side of a car to offer some protection, the other members of his team not far behind. As soon as they had all taken cover, Red X's masked face peered over the hood of the car.

"Was I not invited?" he asked smugly.

Starfire avoided his gaze, choosing instead to focus on a small crack in the sidewalk. She did however notice from her peripheral vision that Robin was scowling.

"Fine," he said through gritted teeth, his eyes once again narrowed into slits. Starfire assumed he had forgotten about trusting her judgment when it came to Red X.

The said thief slid over the hood and landed smoothly beside her, smirking at her uncomfortable expression.

"Okay," Robin started, holding out the disc with the emblem that Starfire had retrieved. "Starfire found this lodged inside Plasmus. It belongs to Gizmo."

"I should have _known_ that little twerp was behind this!" Cyborg announced, outraged. "Who else is smart enough to clone that giant zit?"

"And who else is stupid enough to?" Beast Boy muttered in response.

"Whatever he was planning doesn't matter anymore," Robin continued, placing the disc inside his belt for later inspection. "He's lost control of his own creation, and we need to stop it before it gets any worse."

Beast Boy peeked from around the car and gasped suddenly. "Hey guys…not to sound all depressing like Raven or anything…but I think it got worse."

The others followed his gaze and watched in horror at what they saw before them. Plasmus was slowly rebuilding himself into a giant sloppy wall, growing twice as big as he was originally.

"What must we do?" Starfire wondered aloud.

"Raven," Robin commanded. "Teleport to wherever Gizmo is hiding and see if he knows how to stop this thing. Beast Boy, you go with her. We'll try to hold him off as long as possible."

Raven nodded and prepared to teleport when Cyborg's voice stopped her.

"Wait…let me come to," he added, glancing uneasily at the remaining people. "Ain't no way I'm sticking around with this love triangle."

Starfire cringed. Was it that obvious what was going on?

"Fine," Robin snapped again, his nostrils flaring. "Go, and hurry."

And a moment later they were gone.

Only a second after the others had disappeared did the remaining heroes-sans Red X-barge out into the open to face the already reformed Plasmus.

"So…how exactly do we kill this thing?" Red X asked blandly.

Robin narrowed his eyes in thought before merely saying, "We give it everything we've got," then he bounded off.

Red X turned to Starfire. "Well, isn't he a barrel of answers?"

Instead of answering, or chuckling like she thought she might do, Starfire flew off to assist Robin in battle, hoping that her friends hurried with their mission to capture Gizmo.

She screamed out a battle yell as she struck Plasmus with her eyebeams twice and winced as his body twitched to the side, dodging the blasts. To her dismay, she was knocked out of the air again when he retaliated, this time landing in Red X's arms.

"I thank you," she said rather uncomfortably, casting an awkward glance when Robin glared at them.

"Don't mention it," he replied, placing her down before turning to dash back into battle. He glanced sideways at her. "_Ever."_ Then he sprinted forward.

Starfire was about to fly after him when more sludge was flung up into the air after Red X released an electric x. As the goo fell down rapidly, she darted to the side, narrowly avoided it. She let out a grunt as Robin slammed into her suddenly, knocking her off her feet and onto the ground as a sheet of acid rain fell down on the exact place she was standing a few moments ago.

Robin propped himself on his elbows as he landed on top of her, his breath hot on her face due to their proximity. She blinked in bewilderment and caught Red X's expression out of the corner of her eye. His eyebrows were raised and he looked almost smug and if Starfire could see his eyes, she was sure that they were glinting mischievously. Uh-oh, she knew what that meant. That was his, "Challenge accepted" face.

And so as they main battle went on, a silent competition was produced between the two masked teens. It clearly had more to do with their troubled feelings for the other than it did having to do with Starfire herself.

The whole thing was completely unnecessary according to her. It was the little things, such as a hand to the small of her back, or in Red X's case, and occasional squeezing of the rear. The distractions were annoying, but tolerable. That was until they began battling _for_ her.

It wasn't as if they were even concerned for her safety, they just wanted to prove to the other who was the bigger man, which Starfire had observed to be a common trait in Earth males. She noticed it clearly when she was about to dive in to cuff Plasmus when Robin cut her off and threw a bird-a-rang to the back of his head instead. The attack was efficient, but it left Starfire feeling useless and fuming.

Red X must have noticed this too because he purposely went out of his way to do it a lot, smirking at her when she couldn't quell the infuriated glow in her eyes. Why must they be so frustrating?

Suddenly a strange and concerning sound rumbled deep within Plasmus, making the three fighters stop in their tracks. Something was wrong. The rumbling grew louder and louder, and the creature's form began to bubble, until he exploded, sending strings of slop everywhere so they attached to buildings, and unfortunately for Starfire, around her ankle.

She screamed as she was dragged toward the newly formed Plasmus, clawing the pavement desperately, and although she left indents in the road, it wasn't enough to stop the brutal tug.

"Now would be a most efficient time to do the annoying saving procedure!" she called frantically, letting out a grunt as her body connected with the gelatinous monster. She let out another cry as she began sinking into his body. He was going to suffocate her!

"Starfire!" she heard Robin shout, as he tried to break free of his sticky bonds. Meanwhile Red X was struggling only a few meters away, also encased in a web of goo.

Starfire tore her arm free and blasted Plasmus, but he ignored the pain it caused him and instead sped up the process of incasing her. The more she struggled the faster he drew her in. She forced herself to think back to the sewers. What had she done that had weakened him? Sure she had beaten him and thrown starbolts at him, but that's what she had been doing for the past hour or so.

Then it hit her.

She didn't need to hit him quickly with a few starbolts. She needed to intensify and hold her energy, so she could burn him.

Starfire held her breath and stopped struggling all together, so Plasmus would believe he had gained the upper hand. She heard her friends calling out to her before her ears were incased with sludge, along with the rest of her body.

She couldn't describe the feeling of being inside Plasmus. She had expected there to be a body, but then she remembered that this was a clone. She focused her energy, letting it build inside her, as her skin began to shine. Then she took a giant breath and-

Everything became green. Her entire body, her soul, her heart. She marveled at the way she felt with the power she had, and prayed that she could control it. As she pushed her energy out she heard Plasmus's scream and then she was free.

She fell hard onto the pavement, gasping and sweating, slowly letting her skin return to its natural shade. The green fire scattered away from her, looking for something to burn, and found the remainder of Plasmus's discarded sludge, turning it all into a sickly looking ash.

She stood up shakily and could not help but giggle-considering her current state-at her friends' dumbfounded expressions as they sat on their butts. A moment later Raven reappeared with not only Cyborg and Beast Boy, but with a complaining Gizmo as well.

"Let go of me you stupid snot munchers!" he screamed, flailing wildly from where Cyborg suspended him in a hold with one fist. "I told you I don't know squat!"

"It's too late for your lies," Raven snapped.

"Yeah!" Beast Boy chimed in. "Just look at what you did!" He threw his arms out dramatically, and then blinked in confusion. "Uh…did he…go for a bathroom break or something?"

"No, Starfire destroyed him," Robin informed, sending her a smile, before bending down to pick up a sample of ash for later. "This is all that's left of him now."

"All right, Star!" Cyborg cheered, using his other arm to fist pump the air.

"Does this mean I still have to go to jail?" Gizmo questioned.

Everyone shook their heads at him. "Why don't you three take him over to the Jump City Prison," Robin suggested pointedly.

"What?! Come on! It doesn't take all three of us to- Ow!" Beast Boy started before Raven smacked him, clearly because he didn't get the message. It wasn't long before they disappeared after that.

Robin turned to Red X. "I guess I should thank you."

"Guess so," he returned.

There was an awkward moment of silence.

"Thanks."

"Don't mention it."

"YAAAY! Oh, this is glorious! We are all friends now!" Starfire exclaimed crushing them in a group hug.

When she set them down they pulled away-after they had regained their breath.

"Well I don't know about that," Red X said. "Maybe acquaintances…at best."

"Still though, you have remarkable skills, and despite your recent crimes, I'd say you could shape up to be a pretty decent hero," Robin mentioned.

Red X visibly stiffened. "Like I said, I'm not the hero type."

"Then why do you play it so often?" the Boy Wonder spoke up.

The masked criminal narrowed his eyes, not responding, until Robin hastily spoke up again. "What I mean is, if you were ever interested in switching sides, you know where to call." He handed him an index card, with a number scrawled on the back. Red X took it, staring hard.

"I've gotta go," he responded finally. "Places to be."

"Will we ever see you again?" Starfire asked hopefully, the tone in her voice making him look up at her sparkling eyes. It didn't take a detective to know that she meant if _she _would ever see him again. He answered just how she expected he would.

"Maybe, maybe not." He backed away from them then, still clutching the card.

Starfire stared sadly after him, and she felt Robin give her hand a squeeze. "Farewell, Red X."

A sudden glow behind Robin and Starfire made them turn around and they discovered that their friends had returned, this time without Gizmo.

"Man, am I glad to be rid of him!" Cyborg complained. "I feel sorry for his cell mates. They'll probably be smashing their heads against the wall as soon as he says two sentences!"

"More like two words," Beast Boy corrected.

"So…I'm guessing you two let him go this time?" Raven drawled.

The two Titans blinked I confusion, then turned around to find out that the empath was right. Red X had vanished again.

"They probably let him escape because they were too busy holding hands," Cyborg commented, smirking.

Robin and Starfire both glanced down at their still interlocked fingers and let go at the same time blushing. Beast Boy and Cyborg then started firing back and forth jokes about their friends' transparently awkward budding relationship, while Raven just shook her head.

Starfire giggled for a few moments despite her evident blush until something caught her attention. She wandered over to the place X was standing only a few seconds ago, Robin close behind her.

"Everything okay?" he asked gently, and she didn't answer him at first, because she bent down to pick up the index card he had left behind. Robin's eyes widened in understanding, and Starfire wasn't sure if she felt hurt or not, until she noticed that there was writing on the side where there weren't any numbers. There were only three words there, but the short message made Starfire's heart soar, because he had kept his promise, and that was all she had ever wanted. Incidentally, the message was written in a messy scrawl, in an unmistakable red ink.

_Call me Jason. _

**Author's Note: **_It's not over….yet. _


	11. Epilogue

Titans' Tower. It was so busy with bustling life.

Somewhere in ops, a cybernetic teen and a green vegetarian were dueling it out over something ridiculous such as a meat vs. tofu war. The smell of fake meat filled the air, and gray and red substances dripped from the ceiling and coated the furniture.

Deeper in the tower sat a half-demon in lotus position, her eyes shut and her breathing even. She murmured ancient spells and rhymes and focused her negative energy elsewhere. She was in a state where none could disturb her, or they would regret it if they tried.

Up on the Tower's roof perched an alien girl with vibrant flowing red hair and eyes that shined like emeralds. She seemed entirely at peace watching the swirling oranges, reds, and yellows of the sunset, her back to any dangers that lurked within the city. And sometimes, more often than not, a certain Boy Wonder would join her.

And then there was the one that watched in the distance, balanced on the edge of one of the taller building's rooftops. He didn't do anything more than merely observe, for sneaking around was what he did best.

And although he didn't like to admit it, the offer still buzzed around in his head, even during late night robberies. Why else would he have memorized the number on the card? The truth was, he wasn't even sure yet what path he would take, but he knew he would figure it out eventually.

But for now he was just satisfied on watching the one who had opened his eyes in the first place. He watched her grow happier and more content, and to know that he had helped her get to that point, made everything else easier to swallow.

So this time, as life went on, the figure watched from where he sat, watched, with a smile on his face.

**The End **


End file.
